Just Passing Through

I made the journey back to a snowy white England.  Thank you to the many who prayed for my safe arrival.  Amidst a cancelled flight, a later flight, a cold flight because the electrical system wasn’t working properly and it affected the plane’s heating, and an hour and a half wait to get through passport control – I made it safely back to my British home.

As much as I love my British life, my wonderful friends here, and the gorgeous beauty of the countryside and seashores, it always takes me a little while to readjust.  I’m always conscious of the fact that I’m the foreigner here.  I leave my American way of doing things behind and adjust to the British way.  I drive on the left side of the road, eat toad in the hole, and say things like, “I do believe it’s brightening,” on the most dismal of grey days.  (I love British hopefulness where the weather is concerned.)  Even so, I wouldn’t fool any Brit into thinking I’m really one of them.  I only have to speak a word and that fact is immediately known by the Brits around me.  That’s okay.  I love my time here even though I’m not a natural-born Brit.

As I’ve been contemplating this in the past few days, making my readjustments again to British life, it also came to my mind that spiritually speaking, I’m just passing through this world.  I’m in this world, but I’m no longer of this world because I’ve been born again and my citizenship is now in heaven.  That thought in mind brings to my memory a song I learned in my childhood, appropriately called, “This World Is Not My Home.”

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home then Lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Concerning our time here on this earth, let us take heed to the words founds in Romans 12:2:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”

As we become more like Jesus, the things of earth become more foreign to us and we know we don’t really belong.  We’re just passing through. This world is not our home; it’s our temporary work place to share with others the wonderful truths of Jesus and His love for us.