My pastor recently delivered a sermon on the judgment seat of Christ, and in that sermon, he shared a powerful story about a missionary pastor and his wife. The missionary couple was returning to the United States from Africa in the early 1900s, after being there for 40 years. Aboard the same ship was President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a two-week hunting trip in Africa. 

As the ship approached the dock, the missionary noticed all the fanfare for the return of the President. There was a large crowd with banners and flags as well as a marching band.

The missionary found himself a little discouraged because he and his wife had served God for 40 years in a third-world country. Their bodies were tired, worn down and not in the best of health. He watched as the crowd made much about the return of the President, and he couldn’t help but feel discouraged and unappreciated. The closer they got to the dock, the more profoundly the discouragement compounded his sorrow. He shared his thoughts with his wife as they slowly approached the dock.

“We have been gone 40 years, and the President, two weeks,” he said. “We have been serving the Lord, and he, on a leisurely hunting trip, yet there is no one here to greet us. There is no band or cheers or banners welcoming us home.” The words of his faithful wife changed his attitude immediately. She said, “My dear, you must remember, we are not home yet.”

What brilliant insight! If you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, remember, you are not home yet. I am not home yet. There is still work to do. We are still on mission.

Too many Christians today seem more like permanent residents here on earth than pilgrims who are just passing through. They like this world with its trappings and fanfare a little too much. A pilgrim is defined as – “a person who journeys, especially a long-distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion.”

Friend, if you are a child of God, a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, you are a pilgrim on a journey to your sacred home in Glory with the Lord. And one day, one day, my friend, there will be a celebration and a “Welcome Home” party awaiting you and me and all those who call Jesus Lord, “When our trophies, at last, we lay down … and exchange them someday for a crown!”

The only words we will want to hear on that day will be, “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:23).

Until then, my brothers and sisters, let us journey on as pilgrims in a foreign land, doing what the Lord would have each of us do. And remember: We are not home yet!

 

Lisa Hannan lives in Valdosta with her husband, attorney Miles Hannan, who has been practicing law in Valdosta for more than 30 years. She has a B.S. in psychology from Valdosta State University. You can find her at www.lisahannan.org.