Chapter Five
Living in the In-Between

Lesson

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’” Revelation 22:1-7  

Home. That word has varied meaning for each person reading this. For some, it brings up memories of great times, maybe even memories of this past Christmas with family. It can mean times when you were growing up and times with your children as they have grown up. For others, it conjures up memories of pain and sorrow. It brings back feelings of the way you wish it had been or wish it was now, but it just is not. 

At its core, though, the word “home” is peaceful. It is a place of belonging. It is a place where everything is just right. It is where the beds are just right, the porridge is the right temperature, and the chair is so comfortable (wait, that’s “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”). Ultimately, home is where all is right.  

Home is an interesting word for me. I grew up in northern California, just north of Sacramento. My home was not the worst you have ever seen, but we definitely struggled. My parents and I lived in the same town for my upbringing, and my mom made sure I was in church every time the doors were open. She taught me how to love God. I am thankful for how my mom raised me. My father struggled with depression and anxiety, which manifested in extreme obesity. He was bedridden and weighed close to 800 pounds for most of my life. His struggle also manifested in anger toward me and my mom. I spent the majority of my home life hoping I did not make him angry and doing whatever I could to spend time away from home. God ultimately used all of this for my good (the story is much larger), but home was not a place of safety. 

Fast forward to today, my home is very different. Jeannie and I have done everything we can to change my narrative for our girls and lead our family in Jesus. We desire to place Him at the center of all we do, though we fail often. For us, home is safe and peaceful (most of the time); it is where we belong. However, home is still fluid for us. Jeannie was raised in Oregon, so we are both West Coast people. While Michigan is home to us, we still feel like a fish out of water sometimes, and we long for what we knew growing up. You may long for something like that, or you may long for home to actually feel like “home.” 

Advent at Christmas is all about the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus has brought with Him as He is our Emmanuel, God with us. While we are reminded of that at Christmas, and hopefully, as we enter this new year, there is a continual sense that these things are not complete in the world in which we live. In fact, it seems as though they will never be on earth. If you feel that, you would be right.  

In the world around us, there are echoes of the way it was all meant to be all the way back in creation. That would include a perfect relationship with each other, no sin, no pain, and no death. Imagine walking in the gift of the Garden of Eden in a perfect relationship with God. However, that was broken by our sin and choosing another way other than God. Those echoes create in us a longing for the way it was while we live in the in-between of Jesus’ Advents. 

Know this: it will be made right again. Jesus is coming, and He is bringing home with Him. 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4 

This is a promise that will be kept. Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and He alone is the way to the Father. He is the way home.  

How do we live at home in the in-between? This also can only be accomplished by living for Jesus with every breath we take. While we will be looking at this during this week, Moses summarizes it well in Psalm chapter 90. 

“Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.  

O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!” Psalm 90:1-2, 13-17 (NLT) 

God Himself is our home. We may be tempted to look for a home in so many different places, but as we live in the in-between, our true home is only found in Him. Find satisfaction in His unfailing love. Find gladness in His glory. Seek hope, peace, joy, and love in Jesus.  

He is your home, as we live in the in-between.