I walk along the sandy shore in the fading light … just out of reach of the lapping waves and foam. As the sun gives way to deep purples and pinks, I stop to stare at the horizon and press my feet into the soft sand. My gaze drops as it peeks up at me from between my toes.
In that holy moment, I sense a stirring within me. A feeling I can’t quite describe.
Something in me remembers.
An inner longing is piqued by this small gesture of nature. And for a brief moment — I’m home.
I wonder if you, like me, have ever experienced this. Maybe it was in nature or with a loved one — a smile, a laugh, a hug — something. And tucked within that moment in time, it came … from somewhere deep within. A feeling of belonging, of wholeness. Of home.
An echo of Eden.
Many of us have tried various avenues of discovering the details of our family history and ancestry. But when we go all the way back, our beginning is the same. And though we may have forgotten where we come from, the deepest parts of our souls do not. They remember. And they long to return us to that perfect place where love reigned.
For those of us who have received Jesus and belong to God, there is good news! We will one day return. Not to Eden as it was, but to a new Eden. One where the risen Christ dwells and love reigns once again.
But what of now in this in-between place? How do we reconcile what is and what will be? How can we live here while holding on to what is coming? And how can we live found in a world where we often feel so lost and alone?
The answer lies in this one simple question God asks his beloved creation from the beginning …
“Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
It is the beginning line of the greatest love story ever written. He seeks, he pursues, he protects, he provides. He sets out to win our hearts and bring us back home to him. The home our truest self still knows – and remembers.
We as God’s own each have an inner compass that points us home. It expresses itself in longing and remembrance. It reminds us there is more. But this world and its brokenness has broken us and scattered the pieces. As we draw closer to Christ, he begins to pull those scarred and scattered pieces together again to show us who we truly are and were always meant to be. In him and with him.
He heals us and makes us whole again.
From the beginning, we were and are his beloved. He waits with us and rescues us. He doesn’t simply put up with us as is our experience so often in our earthly relationships, but rather, he delights in us.
He watches for us to wake up so he can be with us. And he watches over us when we sleep to keep us from harm. I remember one afternoon when I had been taking a much needed nap, I awoke just as the afternoon light began to soften toward evening. And as I opened my eyes and began to awaken, I felt him watching me and smiling tenderly. It was the most lovely, peaceful feeling. I felt so safe under his gaze. So loved. Adored even. I will never forget it. And so I carry it with me to remember how what I felt in that moment is always true of him toward me. And it is also true for you.
What I have come to understand through much wilderness and wandering is that everywhere I go, he is with me – and so everywhere I am, I am home.
And every once in a while, he takes me by surprise and reminds me — just in case I have forgotten — as he did on the beach that day.
May it be so for you. May you always remember where home is. And who it is.
And may you never stop seeking it.
