Lately my son has been sharing his heart, his hurt heart with me. I’m thankful that he’s willing to do so and I know that he would want me to share some of this with you, as many of you probably struggle with this at times. Maybe you will be encouraged to know you are not alone ~ that we are all in this thing together, yes?
His hurts come not from the normal-type of angst you might expect from a teenager ~ one who is on the cusp of becoming a full-blown man. One who may feel ready to move on to the next phase/stage of life, but still has school ahead of him.
No. His hurt comes from something much more riveting than all of that stuff.
His hurts aren’t plaguing him because no one is paying attention to him, or that the girl of his dreams doesn’t like him back the way he would hope she would right now, or even from being a bit in that awkward, in-between place where you are sort of ready to grow up, but the world says…”not quite yet.”
It’s not that kind of stuff at all.
It’s about the difficulty we all face ~ those of us who are best friends with Jesus ~ the difficulty of feeling like we are trapped, and unable to live in our forever home. The difficulty turns into a bit of sadness. It can then morph into a sense of discontent, being unsettled, or wondering where your place is when you know you aren’t living “at home” right now.
That forever home with Jesus ~ the place where there are no limitations in screaming out how much we love Him at the top of our lungs!
That forever home ~ the one where no one is trying to stay hush-hush about the one, most singular awesome thing there is to talk about ~ our Mighty God~
That forever home ~ the one that those of us who walk with Him closely know will be so much better than the world we live in now.
Yet…….
We have been placed here for a reason, friends. It is hard ~ soooo very hard sometimes not to long for home in a way that wrenches our hearts isn’t it?
But what I was trying to share with my son (and I would covet your prayers for this to sink into his heart and encourage him) is that I have been through the same thing he’s going through right now ~ and what the Lord has always planted inside my heart to encourage me and pull me out of the mire is this:
HE came down to rescue us.
HE came down to be light in this world and save us.
HE came down to walk amongst us and suffered for us.
HE came down!!!
So why should we get out of it? Why should we get to be let off the hook from being here, walking amongst others in a foreign land?
In no way do I want to make light of or diminish my son’s feelings, or those we all experience from time to time at all by saying any of this. I just feel that I’d like to share what God showed me when I went through the same thing. He taught me that it is actually possible to wish for and long for our forever home, but still be okay with being here for the time being.
- It IS possible to live in this world, but not for this world.
- It IS possible to look forward to (and pray and beg for) his imminent return, but still move through our days with purpose and joy and peace.
- It IS possible to do both ~ but we have to fight for it, and pray diligently, and walk in faith and KNOW without question He has us here because it is HIS will.
- It IS possible!
And yes ~ it IS hard.
We get the privilege of being light in a cold and dark world.
We get the privilege of living out the love and compassion Jesus so deeply desires be given out freely to others who either don’t know Him, or are struggling to stand strong for Him.
It’s our privilege that is painful, but a privilege nonetheless.
I will be the first to raise my hand and say “ooh, ooh, pick me” to be able to proclaim without hesitation that it is hard ~ hard beyond belief! We are to look forward to the return of Jesus and He even tells us that those who do so will be blessed.
But in the meantime, we have to trust Him that He has us here for good reason. It’s not about us ~ it’s about Him and His glory.
So, for my son, I’d like to encourage you today…
It’s a painful privilege you have been gifted with to walk this life on fire for Jesus, when it seems that everyone around you simply wants to pour water over you and put out that fire.
Don’t let the enemy win.
My son ~
It’s a painful privilege to long for your forever home, but remain here to be Jesus even when you can’t freely speak Jesus.
But He will be the words ~ you have only to show up.
Oh my son ~
It’s a painful privilege to love your Savior so very much that you simply want to be in His presence forevermore and be done with this hiccup in your eternity.
But it’s also a peaceful privilege.
There is peace beneath the pain ~ and it’s all because of Jesus!
May God give you the peace and JOY that surpasses all the gunk that comes at you from the outside. Those darts and arrows cannot penetrate the fortress He has created in and around your heart, mind and soul.
It is not possible, because YOU. ARE. HIS.
And I am so very thankful that I have been given the beautiful privilege of walking through this painful privilege with you as my earthly son. Yep ~ there’s that peace again.
And ~ as I smile to myself, I hear Him say….
“Don’t forget about the joy. Do NOT forget about my joy!”
Oh my son ~
We shall rejoice!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
Eyes Wide Open 
Beautiful!