More Than "Only In Your Dreams"

I'm dreamin' tonight of a place I love
Even more then I usually do
And although I know it's a long road back
I promise you

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me…

-Gannon and Kent

There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to,

because the LORD your God has blessed you.

(Deuteronomy 12:7 NIV)

Every year when the familiar tune and refrain of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” plays on the radio I start crooning along, and before I know it the tears are streaming down my face. So many memories and feelings flood my heart. I miss my sisters who live scattered around. My heart longs for the Christmases I had with my Dad (Christmas Eve was his birthday). I reminisce about the early years when the boys still believed in and hoped for the magic of the season.

This year since I am busy with school, Christmas celebrations may come and go without much fanfare, and for the most part I am okay with less stress, but I miss some of the buzz that comes with preparing.

Mostly though I think the longing for home heightens my desire for Christ’s final return and the ushering in of things the way they were meant to be. A world without the tinge of brokenness that colors everything.

Sort of melancholy, but underneath is the hope that constantly pulses like a hidden stream. We can rejoice in the longing for His return. The presence of the Lord can be experienced now through the sweet lyrical voice of His Holy Spirit whispering in our ear, “I’ll be your home…abide in Me, and I will abide in you…I love you, my dear one…live well…I am coming soon to establish my eternal home.”