My family lived in the same house for 90 years. A few months after my sister and I sold the house, it was torn down and replaced with a McMansion. The loss of that home was like a death to me.

The people of Judah lost their homes when the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar hauled them away into exile. There a poet wrote Psalm 137 “By the rivers of Babylon–there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.” That song, mourning the loss of home & place of worship, is one of the saddest in all Scripture. It’s also one of the most appalling because it ends with a curse. “O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!”

That terrible curse reflects genuine human emotions. Grief, resentment and anger are often the result of loss. How does a person live with that without being driven to destructive actions? The Jews discovered it wasn’t vengeance that was needed, but a return to the Lord. They learned that they could still worship God and live in the Lord’s way despite having lost everything they thought was important.

Henri Nouwen wrote that finding the way to our true home involves seeking the “living God of Love in prayer, worship, spiritual reading, spiritual mentoring, compassionate service to the poor, and good friends.”*  That’s the way we come to our real home.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-7 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

*Finding My Way Home, p. 10