The room overflowed with boxes. Clothes still secure in zipped suitcases assured me this was just a temporary layover. I was jobless and living in my brother's house. I felt like the prodigal sister — not exactly the life I'd planned.
My brother graciously reminded me that my visit didn’t come with an expiration date. I could have unpacked in an attempt to settle into my new “home,” but placing my things in drawers and personalizing the room symbolized permanence.
This was only a short-term stop, not my final destination.
Eventually, I jumped back into the workforce, married and moved into what my husband calls our “forever house.” This move meant permanent residence. Yet I still wrestle with wanderlust, a feeling that this house isn't really my home. Drawers and cabinets now hold all of my personal possessions, and family photos hang on walls painted in colors chosen by me. My bold personality resonates throughout our abode, so why do I still feel unsettled?
Maybe you've felt this way:
Whether you’re in between jobs or you land your “dream job,” it's not enough.
Whether you’re in the midst of relational heartbreak or you’re surrounded by family and friends, you still feel something is missing.
Whether you’re struggling to balance your budget or you have all the latest gadgets and a fridge full of food, you still feel unsatisfied.
Why? Because God didn't create this temporal world to be our one and only dwelling place or to satisfy us fully. In other words, the here and now is not the end.
Reflecting on his very full life, King Solomon noted that the things of this world are “meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14, NIV). For some readers, Ecclesiastes evokes feelings of gloom and doom, but beware of dismissing Solomon’s words as the depressing rant of a frustrated man. Instead, allow them to rouse within you a desire to know God's heart, trust His purpose for creating us and follow His plan for our lives.
Like Solomon, we may find pleasure in financial security, job titles, a beautiful family and home, or other worldly treasures, but they will never sate our longing for more. Anything other than an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father leaves us dissatisfied, discontent and disappointed. The inner void we desperately seek to fill can be filled only by Christ.
Our key verse explains why we feel tension when our perspective shifts from eternal to temporal: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
The verses preceding Ecclesiastes 3:11 list different seasons we experience throughout life, with the reminder that God is sovereign over everything in every season of life. God created humans to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. However, ever since humans sinned by wanting to be like God, we have chased after every form of worldly pleasure in pursuit of joy that comes only from loving, trusting and obeying our Creator. But we chase to no avail.
We have lost proper perspective. Instead of living as “temporary residents and foreigners” (1 Peter 2:11, NLT), we live, instead, as though this world is our final destination. The enemy seeks to derail us from living an eternity-minded life at every turn; he whispers convincingly, just as he did in the garden of Eden, (Genesis 3:1-5) that we deserve to be happy today, no matter what it costs us tomorrow. He wants us to believe that this life is as good as it gets, and he delights in our pursuit of the next big thing to captivate us. Satan knows that by ignoring the Lord's design for His creation, we miss out on our only source of true peace and lasting contentment.
Child of God, embrace eternal “wanderlust” and keep your spiritual bags packed, ready to follow Christ. Travel with your guide, God’s Word, and enjoy the journey, looking forward to the day you will finally be at rest in the glorious presence of your heavenly Father in the eternal home Jesus Himself has prepared for you. (John 14:3; 2 Corinthians 5:1)
Heavenly Father, thank You for preparing our eternal home, where we will have rest for our weary souls. Keep our hearts and minds focused on You and Your purpose for our lives: to bring You glory and make You known. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
