Note: Many things have changed since this story was first written.
Some of them more than a little ironic.
For an update, be sure to see the postscript at the end of the story.
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Hebrews 13:14
“It’s not your house anymore,” she says, and smiles…
She’s right…
The tax bill still comes to us…
We still pay the utilities…
But…
It’s not our permanent home anymore.
Different artwork hangs on the walls…
Furniture waits to be set in new places…
The house is clean…
All the time.
Always.
We are selling our house.
“You need to create an illusion,” the home-stager continues…
“An Illusion of a house that’s perfect…”
“A house where carpets are always freshly vacuumed…”
“Where counters shine…”
“Where toys are picked up and put away…”
“And dirty dishes simply don’t exist.”
That’s a real illusion.
Our home is sometimes messy, dirty and chaotic…
Because we are sometimes messy, dirty and chaotic.
It takes a lot of work to keep up this illusion…
Vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, picking up every day.
But we’ll create the illusion of the perfect house to reach our goal…
We are called by love to leave this house.
Love beckons us elsewhere.
Love tells us this house is not our home…
Because those we love…
Two small grandchildren…
And the people they call Momma and Daddy…
Live elsewhere.
So, to sell our current house…
We create an illusion.
Someday…
Love…
The Love of God….
Will call us to a home not just a few miles away…
But to a home not of this world…
Our eternal home…
Our forever home…
Our home with God.
And in that day, there will be no need to create illusions about our past life…
For God sees through our illusions…
…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
And Loves us anyway…
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
