When my children were young, I taught them to never open the refrigerator at someone else’s house. However, my adult children have a habit of doing this when they’re visiting my house. More times than not, they don’t find anything they want, but still they explore. While I’d be mortified if they did this at anyone else’s home, I hope they’ll always feel comfortable looking in my refrigerator. You see, I no longer live in the home where my children grew up, and very little of the furniture is the furniture we had when they were young. In fact, there are few traces of their childhood things in my home. It’s a small thing, I know, but when they feel free to explore my refrigerator, it tells me that their hearts are at home in my house, although it’s an entirely different place, with different furnishings! I know they feel comfortable, and it feels like home to them, because I’m there!
Jesus gave us a promise about our “forever home” that’s recorded in John 14:2-3: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
I like this image of Jesus preparing a place for us in His home, because I know we’ll all feel comfortable there. In our forever home, Jesus will be with us, we’ll have everything we need, and we’ll lack nothing! Revelation 21 describes “a place as beautiful as a bride adorned for her husband, where God will dwell among the people. There will be no tears, no death, no sadness and no pain!” Luke 13:29 tells us “People will come from east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
I like the sound of this place where there will be no tears and no pain, and the “refrigerator” will be overflowing with exactly what we want and need. Thank you, God, for the hope and promises we have in You!
-Susan Easttom, Director of Family Ministries
