Two years ago, my family and I moved across the country. While it was a move that would prove to have so much good in store for us, I was now much farther from my parents, and that pained me. Thankfully, my children were settling into this new place, but I was not.
The first week in our new town, I went to the Wednesday night testimony meeting at the local Christian Science branch church. The very first sentence of the first hymn we sang that night was just the reminder I needed: “Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee” (Peter Maurice, adapt., Christian Science Hymnal, No. 278, © CSBD). These few words helped me to affirm that my true home is not packed up in boxes, far from loved ones, surrounded by unfamiliar people and things. My true home is with God. Wherever I am, I’m right where I’m supposed to be, at home with Him. That night, my sadness turned into peace, and I was so grateful.
With travel restrictions now, it has been quite a while since I’ve seen my parents and since my children have visited with Grandma and Grandpa. Cross-country travel seems out of reach. But my mom, a lifelong Christian Scientist, often reminds me, “We are never truly separated.” I’ve been thinking about these words and about the concept of home that became clearer to me that night at church.
