“I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3b NIV) “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thessalonians 4:18b NASB)
My mom was a stay at home mom. But, there was a brief period when I was around four or five years old that circumstances forced her to take on a part time job. I don’t remember a lot about that period, but I do remember her first day on the job. She brought my little brother and me to my granddad’s home. There were lots of adventures to be had at his house. Plus, we’d be under the watchful eye of my grandmother, whom we called, “Nanny,” and Aunt Mary, whom we called, “La La.”\
My brother and I played and explored until he was worn out. He was only two and a half to three at the time. He went down for a nap and I was on my own. I got bored quickly. Boredom turned into homesickness. So, I climbed up onto the big bench swing on the front porch to wait for Mom. Homesickness quickly turned into sadness and sadness triggered worry that Mom wasn’t going to come back to get me. I started crying. Aunt La La came out onto the porch to check on me. “Is Mama ever coming back to get me?” I sobbed. La La sat down beside me, wrapped her arm around me, and pulled me close to her side. “Your mom is coming back soon, I promise. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s on her way back right now. Here, put your head on my lap and we’ll wait together.”
I laid my head on La La’s lap and she started singing, “I gave my love a cherry that had no stone.” This was one of the songs Mom sang when rocking us to sleep. Aunt La La had a beautiful singing voice. I could listen to her sing all day. But I don’t think she was on the second stanza before I was asleep. When I woke up I was in my mother’s arms and she was carrying me into our home.
Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Since He’s getting our rooms ready, we can be assured He’s coming back for us. Until then, we may get homesick. We may have times of grief and sadness. This is why it’s important that we comfort and encourage one another. Sometimes that encouragement is just sitting next to a weary soul – just being there. Other times, it’s reminding each other of our God’s faithfulness in gentleness and song. We may fall asleep before He returns. When we awake, we will be in our Savior’s arms and He’ll be carrying us home.© Paul R Downing, Daybreak Devotions