Daily Devotional for May 11, 2020
Homesick
“You have entered Bear Country.” Logan read aloud the words on the sign posted beside the road. “Bear country! You didn’t say anything about bears when you asked me to camp here this weekend, Grandpa.”
Grandpa smiled. “It’s not likely we’ll see any, but it’s good to be alert to the possibility.”
As Logan helped Grandpa pound the tent stakes, he thought of how seeing a bear would make a great story to tell his friends. But then he noticed how flimsy the tent looked. A bear could tear right through this, he thought.
Logan and Grandpa had a wonderful day hiking, fishing, cooking the fish over an open fire, telling stories, and roasting marshmallows. Logan was exhausted when he crawled into his sleeping bag. But he couldn’t sleep. A stone poked him from underneath his sleeping bag. He heard people laughing at a nearby campfire. The sound of snapping branches reminded him there could be bears in the woods.
Logan felt a lump in his throat. I wish I were home, he thought. He missed his mom’s warm hugs, hot showers, a quiet bedroom—and no bears!
Just as Grandpa began to snore, Logan remembered something his dad had once said when they were on a trip. “This world isn’t really our home—we’re just travelers here. A traveler sees wonderful things and has many experiences, but he isn’t totally comfortable until he’s home. And our real home is with Jesus, who’s in heaven now but will one day return and make a new world where we’ll live with Him forever.”
Logan hadn’t understood that at the time, but now he did. I really like camping with Grandpa, he thought, but I’m glad I’ll be going home in a couple days.
On the last morning of camping, Logan helped Grandpa pack up the gear. He’d had a great time, and now he didn’t want to leave. At the same time, he couldn’t wait to tell his friends about the bear that had actually wandered into their campsite the night before. Mom and Dad will want to hear all about the stuff we did too, he thought. Maybe I’ll even tell them I understand better now about how our real home is with Jesus. AMY J. STONER
How about you?
Have you ever been away from home for a while? What exciting things did you see and do? What did you miss about home? It’s fun to go on trips and experience new things, but as the saying goes, there’s no place like home. That’s especially true for Christians. Because of God’s goodness, we can have some wonderful times in our lives now. But if you’re a Christian, nothing compares to being with Jesus.
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