Read: Hebrews 1:1-8, Galatians 4:1-7
Ever notice how we get more nostalgic during the holidays? We go about our lives for 330 days, then December hits, and the opening notes of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” brings us to tears.
If you’re homesick this Christmas, consider that Jesus knows how you feel. He spent 33 years separated from His Father on a long-term mission to reconcile God and humanity.
Then, when Jesus’ work was done, Hebrews says He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). God the Father and God the Son reunited, and one day, we will do the same.
When we see a soldier come home and scoop up their son or daughter, we don’t have to know them personally to feel the tug on our heartstrings. Because deep in all of us is a desire for God to do the same.
The holidays tap into this deep longing to be at home with God. When we gather with friends and family, we get a taste of the homecoming that awaits us in eternity.
As sons and daughters, we long to be in the presence of God the Father. Galatians 4:6 says, “You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, ‘Papa! Father!’” (MSG).
The day is coming when we’ll see God face to face, and our longing for home will be complete. Until then, we have the gift of His Spirit, who allows us to speak to God, hear from God, and feel His presence in this home away from home.
Reflect:
Are you missing certain people or places this Christmas? Take some time to tell God who you’re missing and how you’re feeling. Ask Him to show you that you’re not alone.
Hebrews 1:2 says everything that belongs to God belongs to Jesus, and Galatians 4:7 says that, through Jesus, we become God’s heirs as well. What do those two statements together mean for you? Is there any longing you have that God cannot fulfill?