I have a couple of friends who purchased homes without first seeing the inside. One was a home purchase at a foreclosure auction, and the other was a purchase for an out of town move. Circumstances required they both act “on faith” with their decisions. While I admire the adventurous nature of these purchases, I cannot personally relate. I won’t even buy SHOES without trying them on, much less a home!
When we purchased our home, I “stalked” it on the internet for months (no joke). It was “for sale,” then “not for sale” … so I kept watching zillow each week, waiting for it to return to market. In that time, I occasionally would relook at the photos of its interior or drive by its exterior. I even timed the drive from the home to key locations around town. I spent a fair amount of my “down time” doing this kind of research.
This is what happens often with things that we look forward to or hope for. How many times did you look at the ultrasound of your firstborn? How often did you peruse the photos of the child you would soon adopt? Pretty often, right?
Looking at these photos accomplished two things … it satisfied a desire for “fellowship” with our future (home, family, or whatever we were looking at), AND it also fueled desire for the day when the house/child/etc. would join your world.
I say this today because Sunday we will once again be looking at our eternal home in the new heaven and earth. We have been talking about this all fall as we have toured Revelation 19-22. This Sunday will be part 7 of this series as we look at Revelation 22:1-5. You may be thinking, “why are we STILL looking at this?” Well, why do you look at the ultrasound more than 7 times? Why do you check the internet listing again? The answer is obvious … because we WANT TO. It both satisfies our desire (looking for paradise while we live in a broken and breaking world), and fuels more desire (as we see more clearly the home He has prepared for us.)
Make plans to join us this week for part 7 of this series. Come …. and bring friends to Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship services.