Daily Devotional for January 13, 2017
True Home
Adelyn looked around her empty room. She brushed her hand across the mural Dad had painted on the wall one last time, then picked up the last box and brought it out to the truck. When Mom pulled the truck door down with a loud rumble, Adelyn couldn’t help it. She burst into tears.
Mom pulled her close. “It’s going to be okay, Adelyn,” she said in a hoarse voice as Adelyn sobbed into her shoulder. Mom was crying too.
“I don’t get it,” said Adelyn. “Why do we have to leave our house?”
“The bank lent us the money to buy the house, but after your dad died, paying back the loan became too hard. I couldn’t make the payments by myself, so they’re taking back the house.” She stroked Adelyn’s hair. “I know it’s hard to leave the house you grew up in, especially with all its memories of your dad, but we don’t have a choice. We’ll live with Grandma and Grandpa for a while until things get better, then you and I will find a nice apartment.”
“But I don’t want to live in an apartment!” said Adelyn, barely able to get the words out through her tears. “I want to live here! This is where you and Dad and I always lived. This is our true home!”
“Oh, Adelyn,” said Mom. “This isn’t our true home—it never was. It was a wonderful place to live, but it was never meant to last forever. As Christians, our true home is with the Lord, and when we get there, it will be better than anything we could possibly imagine! And you know what the best part is?”
“What?” asked Adelyn, wiping her eyes.
“It’s already been paid for! We could never afford it ourselves, but Jesus gave His life so we could live with Him forever. All we have to do is trust in Him, and it’s ours.”
Mom led Adelyn to the door of the truck. “I know how hard this is—it’s hard for me too. Jesus said we’d have trouble in this world, and it’s okay to feel sad about it. But don’t lose sight of where you’re headed—your true home. And Jesus will lead you every step of the way.” – Courtney Lasater
How about you?
Have you experienced pain or sadness in your life? Maybe you lost someone close to you or had to move away from a place you loved. Whatever it is, you don’t have to go through it alone. Jesus promises to always be with those who trust Him and to one day bring them to their true home, where they’ll never feel pain or sadness again. Trust in Him today! (See the ABCs of Salvation in the column to the right.)
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?