The Journey Home

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

When I was two years old, we emigrated from England to Canada. Over the years, I have made numerous trips back to England both as a child and as an adult. My most recent trip was in May 2024, in which I took the ashes of both my parents back to the Garden of Remembrance in Failsworth, England. Before we emigrated to Canada, my father worked on the making of that garden, which made it even more compelling to take their ashes back.
During the three days that I spent there, I experienced many different emotions. I saw the house in which we lived before we came to Canada. I also went back to the area where my grandparents lived. Standing there, I could see in my mind's eye the memories of the past. I walked the street from their home to the corner shops and noted that everything seemed much closer than I remembered. I even bought two roses from a florist there.
I can now look back and see the hand of God in the people that I came across, from the flight attendant who assisted me in a difficult time, to the hotel staff who helped me when the airline lost my luggage, to the bus drivers and numerous people who directed me to the right buses, right down to the lady in the flower shop with whom I shared my heart. It was as if God were loving me through them.
I felt such a strong emotional pull towards my old home and people whom I did not even know, and I cannot explain it even now. Often, as my heart was experiencing the love of these wonderful people, the hardest emotion that I had to work through was grief. I could not shake the feeling, "What if we hadn't left?" I asked myself, "Why did we leave?" though I knew why, as my parents often spoke of the sacrifice that they had made for me and my brother in leaving their home and family in their native land to give us a better chance in life.
As I have processed my thoughts, I have felt the love of Jesus through these days. Out of love for us and to give us a better life, He was willing to leave His home in glory to come to earth and offer His life as a sacrifice for the sins of humankind. Although I may think of my earthly home being in England, I find comfort knowing that my real spiritual home is in Jesus.
Philippians 3:20 – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
Let us rejoice and thank Him for that!
Prayer: Dear Jesus, oh, what a day it will be when we are reunited with You in our heavenly home! Until then, help us to show people Who You are and lead them to the rich treasure that awaits them in heaven. In Your name, we pray. Amen.