The Forever Notebook

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),”- Luke 1:68-70

Yesterday I took a trip back to Strasburg, Virginia, my hometown. My sole mode of transportation was my laptop. With a little help from Google Maps I was able to get a very nice view of the town in which I lived more than 40 years ago.

It was a nostalgic journey. As I traveled down main street I looked for my first place of employment, the Strasburg Tastee Freeze. The building no longer exists and in its place stands a pine tree and a small parking lot.

Nearby I saw the drugstore where I used to frequently stop in for a lemon phosphate. A lemon phosphate was some sort of soda fountain concoction that I’ve never found anywhere else. Just one of those warm and fuzzy memories from my childhood. The drugstore also served as the local Greyhound Bus Stop. It was there that I left home for the first time headed for Navy boot camp.

A few doors down I could see that city hall and the fire station were still there. Upstairs they used to hold a weekly teen sock hop. I made only one brief appearance at the dance. Oddly, there were only girls dancing with….girls. Lemon phosphates….sock hops….girls dancing with girls? Time to move on. This part of my youth is beginning to get pretty weird.

I Googled my way down main street and took a right onto Capon Street in hopes that my childhood home would still be there. Sure enough, it’s still standing. But it took awhile to recognize it. The hedge around the property is gone and a pickup truck was parked in the front yard, something my granddaddy would never have allowed.

That house represents many happy memories of days gone by. It was a place where I was loved, encouraged, and blessed in so many ways. Of all the places I have ever lived it is the only one that I can really call home. It wasn’t the house itself that made it my home. It was the people and the experiences that we shared together.

It was there that my grandmother sat me down and made me memorize the 23^rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. She instilled in me the values and the heavenly mindset that has served me well throughout my life.

Even if I could buy that old house back….all I would have is a building and memories. There is no way that I could restore what once was there.

I am reminded from today’s selected scripture that there is a home that will be mine someday where I will be reunited with those special people from my past. God “…has come and has redeemed his people.” The biblical concept of redemption means to purchase back something that was lost. In this case, what has been lost is a right relationship with God.

Because all of us sin we are separated from God. In effect, we are kicked out of the family of God and there is absolutely no way that we can get that relationship back. You can’t buy it. You can’t earn it. One sin and you are out.

To make matters worse you must also pay God’s penalty for your sin… which is death, eternal separation from God, and from the family of God.

The good news is that “…he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us…” Jesus has paid the price, the penalty that you deserve. He has bought back your relationship to God and your place in the family of God through the shedding of His precious blood. He gave His life to pay the debt that you owe and He paid it in full.

There is a heavenly home that awaits every believer that is more wonderful than any place or experience you have had or will have on this earth. In that place there will be no more burdens….no more sorrow. You will experience eternal joy, happiness, contentment, peace, and harmony with the Lord and all who dwell there.

You won’t find this heavenly home on Google Maps. However, you will find it in your heart when you surrender your life to the Redeemer.

Prayer

Heavenly Father. Thank You for placing people in my life to teach me about You. I rejoice in knowing that there is nothing in all my experiences, no matter how great, that can come close to what awaits me in heaven with You. You have been with me all these years and have given me so much. Just like the Psalmist I can declare, “My cup runneth over! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Amen.