Feeling Homesick?- Romans 8:22-23

Romans 8:22-23: 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 

For those of you who do not know me personally, or read up on who I am, I am a Bible student. I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies in Colorado, at present. However, I am originally from Oklahoma.

I am a home body. I am not someone who wants to be far from home. Home is comfortable to me. Home is where your heart is. Home is not only Oklahoma, where my heart wants to be (in terms of location). Home is my fiancee, and my family. It is my friends! Needless to say, I get homesick all the time. I miss these people. I miss Oklahoma. I miss the church presence there.

This feeling of being homesick is something that is effecting me as I write these words on my computer. We are one week away from Spring Break here at my school. I could not be more eager to get home.

But this feeling of homesickness brought me to a thought: this world is not my home. This world can have things to offer. This world may have sentimental value. It has your physical family, and all of the things that you have ever known. But how much greater a home is the one that is being prepared for us in Heaven? There we will have our spiritual family. We will have our Father waiting there for us!

Here in Romans 8, Paul speaks to the glory and blessing that is to come! These people in Rome had to endure the most extreme religious persecution that Christianity ever had to go through. I am ever grateful for the ability to be free from federal religious oppression in the United States. However, we are not free from this oppression socially!

What is to be the mindset of the people during oppression here in Romans is the same mindset we ought to have today: Look ahead.

Press on to the goal of being called upward to God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). It is okay to be homesick for earthly locations and earthly people. But it is better (and almost necessary) to be homesick for the Heavenly location with Heavenly people.

Feeling homesick? I know that I am.

Written by: Mason MacDonald

Bibliography:

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022)