“We need to be homesick for heaven. Though we have never been there, we still have something God has built within us that gives us a certain homesickness, a desire to be there.” ~ Greg Laurie
I never thought about age and getting old until last year, when I turned sixty. This week, as my sixty-first birthday approaches, I find myself thinking even more seriously about my mortality. I know sixty-one isn’t that old, but for me it feels like it is. I have lived more than half of my life (unless the Lord is going to bless me to live past 100!). My preoccupation with thinking about life and death might also be because my mother died at sixty-five, my grandmother at sixty-three. The sixties feel like I’m gettin closer to leaving this earth.
Being nostalgic for heaven is God’s way of placing in our hearts a desire to be home to spend eternity with Him.
The reality is none of us know when our last breath will be. I believe most people feel sad thinking about their own mortality and about leaving their loved ones and the life they have here on earth. Usually I become very sad too when I think about dying and leaving this world. I know it’s not unusual to feel this way. However, this week the Holy Spirit surprised me in the sweetest way and my perspective shifted. He helped me to stop thinking of death in a sad way, and to actually feel nostalgic for Heaven in a healthy way. A sense of freedom came over me as I surrendered my love for this world.
Here’s what happened: I had woken up one morning feeling nostalgic as I thought about becoming another year older. I felt sad thinking about my mortality and leaving my loved ones to carry on with life without me. A few minutes later, the Lord, in His kindness, began to minister to my heart. I was led to a devotional entitled “Homesick” by Carol Kent (He Holds my Hand). The author writes from God’s voice, as if He was speaking to the reader. Here’s an excerpt:
“Allow your aches, pains, disappointments and discouragements to make you homesick for the place I’m getting ready for you. On your hardest days, time moves slowly, but it won’t be long. My entire creation is groaning under the weight of sin. I won’t withhold your heart’s desire from you much longer. The longing you feel is from Me. Wait with anticipation. You’ll be home soon.”
The truth is being nostalgic for heaven ought to be on every Christian’s heart, because this world is not our home.
God used this devotional to speak to me about my thoughts on death. I began to reflect on the fact that as a Christian, we are to hold on to our life here on earth loosely. We ought to feel nostalgic for heaven because the reality is that this world is not our home. Eternity is our home. The truth is, life on earth is painful, it’s hard. There is so much sin in this world. Evil is rampant. Sickness and disease, loneliness and sadness, fear, anxiety and worry overwhelm us consistently. There is so much heartache this side of heaven, and our hearts long for a better way to exist. More than this, we yearn to live eternally with our Creator.
Our hope is in our home in heaven, a place of rest and peace.
Our Father has prepared a stunning home for us in heaven. There we will have no more suffering, tears, offenses or any type of heartache. We will have joy, perfect peace, and freedom from all pain. This is why we ought to be nostalgic for heaven in a healthy way. I love what Carol Kent says; “The ending of your story here on earth is the beginning of the best part of your journey.”
However, as long as we are here on earth, our ultimate goal is to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). We must plan on living for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, embracing the love story God has written for us and fulfilling the destiny He has for each of us. It also means blooming where we are planted, enjoying each moment and each gift He’s allowed for us this side of heaven.
I remember when my precious mother was dying of Multiple Myeloma in 1999, she said to me “I’ve lived a full life. I was able to see my three children grow up and get married and have children of their own. Of course I wish I could see my granddaughter, Nikki, as a young woman, but we cannot live forever and we must accept it when our time comes.” I cherish these words of wisdom. It’s true-we cannot live here on earth forever, but we will live forever in eternity with our Maker, our Creator, our Father.
It’s important to make the best of each day we have here on earth, as Christ’s ambassadors. But it’s also okay to be nostalgic for heaven, in a god-honoring, healthy way.
Now that I have a renewed perspective on my mortality, I’m feeling a lot more enthusiastic about celebrating my sixty first birthday coming up. I will rejoice in this blessed life God has given me, as I wait with joyful anticipation to being in heaven one day, free of the aches, pains, discouragements, and disappointments of this world. This world is not my permanent home and I look forward to my home yet to come (Hebrews 13:14).
And when I get to my real home, in heaven, I hope to hear my Heavenly Father say “well done my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
“and I know God has made everything beautiful for its time. God has also placed in our minds a sense of eternity; we look back on the past and ponder over the future, yet we cannot understand the doings of God.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11 (The Voice)
Tweeny thank you for flipping the perspective most of us feel about our unavoidable mortality. While I hope and trust you are in no hurry, your excitement for what lies ahead not behind is so important and encouraging. I have no doubt you will hear your Heavenly Father say, Well Done.
Thank you for these kind words Will. I’m so grateful for your consistent support of me and my writing. I love you. ♥️
Loving your new perspective and I will work on it being mine as well.
Thank you Judy! It really is so freeing! 😊
Wow thank you for this beautiful reminder, Mom. We ache while on this earth because we were not made for this earth alone! “Being nostalgic for heaven is God’s way of placing in our hearts a desire to be home to spend eternity with Him.” So good. 🤍
Aw Nikki, my heart aches the most at the thought of leaving you here on earth because I know how much you will miss me. Yet we can BOTH focus on how sweet it will be to together again in our real home-heaven! And I know what a strong and courageous woman of God you are. Keep focusing on Jesus and eternity always! I love you dearly! 😘
Always enjoy to see your posts Tweeny! I’m always encouraged or moved in reading your posts. appreciate you sending this piece about where our views should be in thinking about heaven. A question that lingered in my mind was what’s an unhealthy way to be nostalgic for heaven? In reading your post, I wondered ‘why’ when I saw the word healthy used in the phrase about heaven.
It’s easy to write another piece on the subject of waiting and how some grow impatient in that process…especially in today’s digital age of expecting things immediately.
Also, liked how you said we’re to wait with anticipation for heaven. Not sure if you’ve heard this story about a man who was laying in bed dying. His son asked him how he was feeling. The older man replied, “I’m as excited as a child is on Christmas Eve in waiting for Christmas morning to get here.”
Recently read another post concerning death and heaven from Randy Alcorn. He recently lost his wife to an illness and included these two thoughts about death.
“Most people think we are in the land of the living on our way to the land of the dying. But actually, we are in the land of the dying on our way to the land of the living. . . . Death is a conjunction, not a period. . . . Death is a conjunction followed by a destination.” —Tony Evans
“Death. It is the most misunderstood part of life. It is not a great sleep but a great awakening. It is that moment when we awake, rub our eyes, and see things at last the way God has seen them all along.” —Ken Gir
Keep going…God has and will continue to do GREAT & MARVELOUS things in your life!
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words, Elizabeth. To answer your question about what’s an unhealthy way to be nostalgic for heaven-I was thinking if one was suicidal and wanted to “escape” their painful life here-that would be an unhealthy way to be nostalgic for heaven. I hope that helps. 🙂
I love all the stories and quotes you shared on being nostalgic for heaven. Thank you for sharing them. I especially loves the story of the old man saying “I’m as excited as a child on Christmas Eve in waiting for Christmas morning to get here.” Wow, this is exactly how we ought to feel about leaving this world.
You are a good encourager. I really appreciate your comments to me! Thank you again. And thank you for encouraging me to keep going! I would like to say the same back to you sister!
Lord bless 🙂
Thank you Tweeny. It’s what i needed to snap me out of an inexplainable anxious day. I read about this years ago in a magazine called Discipleship Journal. The topic of that month’s magazine was Nostalgia for Heaven. I still have that magazine. 💙🙏🏼
Thank you Cindy. I’m so grateful that my writing was a blessing and help to you today. That’s a gift to me to hear. And wow, that is so amazing that you remember that article on Nostalgia for Heaven, and even more cool that you still have it! 🙂
Mrs Randall, These words remind me of the legacy my grandmother has given to us. She’s days away from seeing these truths come to fruition in His faithfulness. Thank you for ministering to our hearts.
What a beautiful legacy your grandmother has left you. Now you can carry it within your heart forever. Thank you for leaving me a comment Anna. It means a lot to me that my writing blessed you. 🙂