I’m almost six months into my new job. Some parts still feel new to me, but I’m grateful and blessed by my coworker’s words that accurate describe my happy situation:
“It’s like God put a Kaitlyn-shaped hole right here at church, and you’ve just fit right in.”
One of my favorite parts of my job is corresponding and caring for our 75+ missionaries around the world. Several of them are retired after serving faithfully for many years–in Africa, in the US doing rural church planting, in the untouched places of South America. I deeply admire their commitment, resolving to follow God’s call as fresh twenty-somethings who, sometimes with their spouses, sometimes alone, ventured out on ships to translate the Bible and teach it when being a missionary meant living in a dirt hut and taking malaria medicine that makes you lose your hearing.
One of our dear ladies I decided to call and check in on. She lives in Florida with her daughter, and I found out she has middle-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. Sweet Geneva picked up the phone, and we had a lovely conversation.
What brought tears to my eyes was what she kept saying. “Will you pray that God takes me to heaven today? I’m just so tired. I’m just….so tired.”
She served God faithfully for 43 years. She is tired. She wants to go home.
What a life well lived. What a rich perspective she must have of seeing God be true and good, of his provision and strength given to her for so many years. We certainly don’t talk about heaven enough, struggling with daily-anchored and worldly outlooks, but Geneva reminded me of Revelation 21.
God is going to make all things new; he will dwell with us, and we. will. be. home.
When we die, we as Christians will be with Christ in heaven, but the ultimate end is home in a re-made earth. then, we will finally see his face. We will finally have peace, worship without the weight and curse of sin, and delight in our Father the way he intended us to in the beginning.
This world is tiring, and in some ways I envy Geneva because she is so willing and ready to go, so close to finishing her race. She made it and is ready. As the Lord wills, I assume I still have a long journey yet to go, and the prospect is exhausting to think about. But just like my elderly sister in the Lord did, I know God will never take me through something alone, nor will he abandon me and let me fail in my race. He will lead me home, as he will for all of us who call on his name, and has given us everything we need to remain faithful in the meantime.
One day we will all be together in our eternal home, that is, those he has made his children. I eagerly await that day, when all will be made new, but for now, there is a race to run.
God bless the runners.
