Welcome Home!

When we see all that's happening in our world today, our hearts and minds are troubled. We find great comfort in reading and thinking about the promise of Christ’s return. The Bible gives many signs of His return: wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, signs in the sun, moon, and stars (weather changes), and earthquakes in diverse places. We’ve seen so many of these multiply over the last few years that the coming of Christ seems very close. Whether we are alive when He returns, or we meet Him in death, all of us long to hear Jesus’ words, “Welcome Home!”

Our daughter Lancia, who is a nurse, was due to arrive home after spending two weeks in Ivory Coast, West Africa, on a medical mission. It was an exciting day for all of us, especially for her husband Scott and her three children. Anticipating her arrival, I phoned the kids to see if they would like to make signs to welcome their Mom at the airport. Maybe because they had never seen it done, none of the three seemed excited about my suggestion. But I was really doing it for their mother, who I knew would enjoy seeing the kids holding signs and appreciate the extra effort made on her behalf.

Despite their lack of enthusiasm for sign-making, Jim, Marci (our second daughter), and I stopped on our way to the airport and bought the necessary materials. As Dad drove, Marci and I quickly worked in the back seat crafting signs with the appropriate welcome messages. It was not a pretty sight! Lines were not straight, the lettering was sloppy, and our decorations looked...well, homemade. We consoled ourselves that something messy was better than nothing.

Upon arriving at the airport and seeing our signs, the kids’ interest grew. Darcy, Jill, and Zane took the markers, sat down on the airport floor, and began writing notes, drawing hearts and adding decorations of their own. As they put their own hearts and emotion into it, the signs began to take on a very personal feel. Ever the hungry one, Jill wrote, "Welcome home, Mom. What's 4 dinner?"

What seemed unimportant to them an hour earlier was suddenly the focus of their attention, because each sign was a connection with their Mom who they had missed terribly and were so anxious to see. When Lancia arrived and eagerly scanned the crowd for familiar faces, her eyes were drawn to the welcoming messages and smiling faces of her family.

Through hugs, kisses and tears, we were reunited, and the signs became less important. The real welcome was not the sign, but the open arms and hearts of her loved ones. The signs were only a symbol of the real connection—our love for one another. The embodiment of love is a physical connection. We feel complete when we are with the ones we love.

When Jesus returns to receive His bride, all the trappings that are so important to us now—a church building, a Bible, our Christian books, our ministry—will fade away because they are only symbols. We will enjoy the real connection with Jesus—His unfailing, eternal love. We can’t feel the physical connection to Christ, but the spiritual connection is just as real. It is the embodiment of our love for Him and his love for us.

As an old song put it, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.” We’ll feel complete when we are finally with the One we love. That’s what I think…what do you think?