Article September 7, 1987 Issue

Going home

The Christian Science Monitor

It was a clear, crisp afternoon as my son and I headed toward home after several days on the Appalachian Trail. It was the end of another "thrilling episode," as we called these outings. One of the most enjoyable parts, though, was the trip home. There was the stop at the roadside stand, the milkshake or hot cocoa—but most of all the thought of home. We could look forward to a warm fire, the wagging tail of a hound, an energetic sister, a mother's care, and special visits from grandparents. It was always a happy prospect.

As the years slipped by, however, things changed, as they tend to do in human life. My son and daughter grew up and left home, my marriage ended, a loved grandmother passed away, and the hound passed from the scene. The homestead of twenty years was sold, and I took a new job in a city some distance away. My concept of home had been shattered.

As I sat in bed one evening with tears clouding my view to such an extent that I could not read the Bible in front of me, I realized that I needed a new sense of home. I thought of Christ Jesus' comment "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."^{Matt. 8:20.} Jesus was often on the move, yet he never lacked a sense of his Father's love. He was always at home in his consciousness of the Father's presence, and his needs were cared for. While he suffered severe trials, he didn't lose sight of that deep love and completeness that came from his being the Son of God.