So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.
—Ephesians 2:19
There is something about being a stranger or alien that opens us up to new possibilities and new learning. Much of our earthly life is lived in that exciting but slightly insecure state. We move about in our jobs, locations, relationships, thoughts and beliefs, feeling as if we don't possess all that we need to know.
We are settled and unsettled, secure and insecure, never certain that we can plant our feet fully where we are and remain there forever. We are a people on the move. This is the human experience.
When we are assaulted by fears, worries and anxieties, we seek solid ground. We start circling the wagons of our life in order to protect ourselves from further uncertainty. We decide the excitement of the stranger's life is not for us because we are afraid there will never be anything more. We feel we will move and change, move and change, and then one day die. "What is it all for?" we ask ourselves.
The truth lies in the reality that the human life is not all there is. We are part of a larger picture. We are citizens with saints and members of God's household. In other words, we are part of eternity. Our soul is secure in the embrace of heaven. When we grasp the truth of our eternal security, living as a stranger and alien on this earth suddenly becomes an adventure.
Gracious God, when my soul seeks the security of earth, lift my eyes to heaven where eternity beckons and holds me safe.
Copyright ©2009 Renée Miller.