Three months after the moving van had carried our furniture and other possessions to another house, I had not finished unpacking. Leaving "Bethesda," the large home traditionally occupied by the college president's family, and moving across town was unsettling. And 14 weeks later, even waiting for new carpet could not hide the stacks of boxes. I was grateful to have the packing behind me but longing to build a new nest.
As I was reading in the Psalms, one phrase caught my attention - a phrase that accurately expressed my state. It took on new meaning to view myself as a guest. "I'm cared for as I stop over in this world," I mused. With conviction I reminded myself that this is a transitiory existence.
Carpet is now laid and boxes are unpacked. Yet that moment of truth has corrected some natural tendencies. Though provision has been made by the Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe for the "guest stay" of His creatures, He counsels me to remember that I am "passing."
Our natural desire for permanence is always evident as we resist change. It is quite evident in the popular trend toward owning one's home and putting down roots. Unlike the majority who are very much at home in this world, we know that our place and our home is in heaven. As Paul expressed it "As long as we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6).
When I become encumbered with the baggage of life, I hope to repeat with gratitude my true state of being - I am but a "passing guest."
R. RAMBO
"For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers." (PSALM 39:12b RSV, Harper's Study Bible).
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