Temporary Home

This is a picture of me and a couple of my buddies, Joe (left) and Tony (right) after playing a game on our missions trip to Mancelona, Michigan in 2010. I was 15 years-old at the time.

Well today I was reunited with my former youth pastor, Ben Willey, one of the most loving and truly amazing people I have been blessed to know. Ben and I sat next to each other in church, and afterwards, we grabbed lunch with some other old friends at Costco. When Ben was still living and working here, he took us students to Costco very often. Often times he would need volunteers to help him get stuff done, and he would reward us with a trip to Costco. Not only did we enjoy going there, but it was one of Ben's favorite places in the world. Ben loved getting a hot dog, and drowning it in all sorts of condiments, something another one of our leaders, Kyle Ackerson, likes to call "Ben's hot dog salad".

As the seven or eight of us sat together, we talked about old memories. It truly was a really cool time as it felt just like the good old days. But then we had to wrap things up, give Ben a hug, and wish him safe travel as he flew back home to New Jersey to his wife, kids, and church.

Back to reality. While it was nice to see Ben while he was here, it sunk in that Ben was going back to his home, and I might not be seeing him for likely another year or so. Ben and I had a very close relationship when I was in junior high and high school and he was my leader. After my sophomore year of high school, he was called by the Holy Spirit to be somewhere else. And that place was his home church in New Jersey. It took me a while to get over the fact that he was leaving. I am someone that has often said that I have a very hard time adjusting to changes in my life, and this was no exception. Since then, I have learned to deal with the change. But I would be lying if I said there weren't days that I missed Ben.

After spending time with Ben as well as some other old friends (who I will definitely see more of this summer as they live here), I was reminded of the good old days. This evening, I was looking back on some old pictures from the missions trip we went on as a youth group when I was in junior high and high school, and I was flooded with memories. I saw many old faces- people I dearly missed and some I hadn't seen in too long. Some I haven't been able to keep up with as well as others. But I was flooded with memories. But one thing kept popping in to my head. I miss these days.

Yes, I miss the days of our old group all being together and those missions trips. Those were some of the best times of my life. I would love to relive them. I started getting sad.

But then I saw a Facebook status that my friend, Sara Kohler, someone who also had been a part of doing youth group stuff with me for many years, posted on her Facebook profile yesterday. The status said the following:

"It's days like these where you meet up with friends you never get to see that you start to realize how awesome eternity is going to be. I don't get how awesome hanging out with God is going to be yet but if I'm this psyched to hang out with his people I literally can't even begin to grasp how amazing it is going to be to chill with him."

I am assuming this was in reference to her having breakfast with Ben that morning that she told me about. I thought what she said was really, really important for me to hear. Life isn't going to stop any time soon. I'm probably not going to see Ben for a while, and there's a good chance some of the people I went on those trips with I won't see again in my life. But I was reminded of something Ben said his final night with us before leaving. And that was that he couldn't wait to hang out with us in Heaven. 

Sometimes we lose sight on eternal things. We get so wrapped up in this life and we think this is it. We want everything to go perfect in our time on earth. But this world is flawed. It's broken. There's going to be hurt, pain and suffering here. Terrible things will happen. We have to deal with so much, including the deaths of loved ones. But there is silver lining here. This is just our temporary home.

This life is short. Many will teach to make the most of your short time, by acquiring worldly things to satisfy you. But I know as a Christian that those things never will fulfill you and give you permanent joy, which is only found in the Holy Spirit. Mark 8:36 reads, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" This is something I used as my senior quote in high school. It will be underneath my picture in the 2012 New Trier Township High School yearbook until the world ends.

But as I was saying, it's so easy to get wrapped up in things we miss. But I know that one day, I will be able to hang out with Ben, as well as my old friends in Heaven. There are a lot of great inside jokes that can build up over an eternity. What is exactly in store for me in Heaven? I have no clue. But what I do know is that even better than never dying, never getting injured or feeling pain, etc., I will get to spend an eternity with my creator. 

And so, while things may be tough. And while I will miss the old days, whatever they may be, I know that's not what I'm living for. I'm living for a life in Heaven with Christ. I'm living to one day hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

And so, I would like to close out this blog by including two songs that relate to this blog. The first is "The Lining Is Silver" by Relient K, and the other is "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood. Take a listen.

If you liked what you read, please do me a solid and like the Facebook fan page for this blog. Thanks, and have a great day!