We have two homes — one in Indiana and one in Florida. Some people have their primary residence and a cottage on the lake or a cabin in the woods or both. I just returned from our vacation home in Florida.

The house in Florida is great. It’s a small townhome; one home in a building with three other homes. The whole neighborhood is buildings with four to six dwellings in each building. There is a pool for the neighborhood and a dog park. It’s very simple, very basic. We don’t do any work outside, not even pull a single weed. I love the quietness of my neighborhood and the opportunity to step out of the chaos for a little while in the winter by going to Florida. But it isn’t my forever home.

In Indiana, I live on 12 acres of wooded property and I can’t see my neighbors. Our landscaping is extensive and requires a great deal of attention during the summer months. We mow, pull weeds, trim bushes and replace trees that die. The house is larger than two people need, but we built when our three kids lived at home. It is a solid house that will be our forever home. It is what I call home no matter where I wander; it calls to me and invites me back.

When I arrived home on Friday, I breathed in the familiar smell of my home. I enjoyed the hot water that went to the farthest faucet in the house in a few seconds (in Florida it takes two minutes). I marveled that the drinking water faucet was pressurized. I love the serenity of the woods and the five deer who greeted me from the meadow.

As I pondered the two homes, I thought about my other two homes — the one here and the one in heaven. Life on earth is good. It is adequate. It provides all I need. Sometimes it is even amazing!

¹⁴For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Hebrews 13:14

Then I imagined heaven. It is the home I long for, the one that calls to me. I am confident it will be beyond my wildest expectations. It will combine the best of all my experiences here on earth. I won’t wait on hot water and I won’t have to pull weeds or mow lawn. The deck won’t need powerwashing and the wood won’t rot in the weather.

As much as I love my life on earth and my homes here, I look forward to heaven and what is in store for me there.

⁹That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

Does life here seem permanent? Do you love where you live? Is the house adequate? Too small? Too large? Is the work unending? Keep in mind, this is not forever and what is to come is beyond your wildest dreams! Hang in there! This isn’t all there is and the next place is, well, nothing we can imagine.

He loves you and looks forward to seeing you! And he’s getting the party ready for you!