Temporary Living (version 2)

“I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.” (Psalm 119:19)

I tried to go back in my mind and count how many times we moved and how many houses I lived in during my lifetime, but I gave up. Let’s just say I moved many times before I married Bill, and many more since. I think in college my best friend and I moved every semester trying out a different place. I pretty much live by a rule I initiated that says, “When the highest windows need to be washed it is time to move.”

I am aware that I struggle with contentment issues. This is why I find this subject so interesting- a temporary home… I am a ‘grass is always greener on the other side’ kind of person. I get restless, dissatisfied and preoccupied.   I want to be in on what’s going on over there but what if I miss what’s going on here? I’m always worried if I commit to this, I’ll miss out on that. My dad would always say to me, “never satisfied, never satisfied.” He couldn’t be more accurate- nothing on this earth satisfies the huge hole we have inside of us. The only thing that finally satisfies is Jesus. I’m putting all my stock in Jesus and eternity with Him.   The problem is the world is like a huge vacuum constantly trying to suck us back in and trying to convince us it’s better than Jesus.   We have this constant battle warring against us.

A friend I knew, who was building a house, would say with a very heavy country accent three times in a row, “I just hate that temporary living.” “I just hate that temporary living,” “Oh, I just hate that temporary living!” I always agreed, but I very much like the idea of a new house!   Weighing all things out — I am moving! The actual moving is the worst, however, it is a necessary evil. Then, just as you’ve recovered from that shake up, it is time to move it all again to a place you hope to stay longer than 6 months. The agreement my husband and I made with each other is the next time we move we have to get rid of 1/3 of our stuff. How do we accumulate so many things? Logically speaking the older we get the more things can stack up on us. I’m preaching to myself…we have to keep giving things away!

Temporary Living… The very word ‘pilgrim’ reminds us of our call to be distinctive and set apart for Christ. We must travel lightly through this journey we call life. The truth is  every place we lay our head in this world is temporary because our home is in heaven. If we know what it means to be pilgrims for Christ then we understand this and derive our happiness and peace from him alone.   So we are actually all in the same boat as believers, whether you’ve lived in the same house your entire life or like me, have moved many times- this is our temporary home. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (I Peter 2:11)

Before we knew Christ we were strangers to him. As we gave him our life we traded our citizenship- from earth to heaven. We became joint heirs with Jesus Christ. The word sojourner means, to dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident, or as a stranger, not considering the place as his permanent habitation. So if you want to join me and lighten your grip on this temporary world I believe we will live a life of greater peace. We all have way too much stuff. Remember, we are pilgrims not settlers. “For I am a stranger with you, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” (Psalm 39:12)

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Phil. 3:20-21)

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.”  (Ephesians 2:19)

Permanently sticking with Just Jesus,

Sheri Langley

(Portions taken from a previous post called Temporary Living)