Pilgrims

I’ve been thinking a lot about all the different ways Peter refers to Christians living in this broken world of ours…

Aliens
Exiles
Foreigners
Sojourners

We’re even called ‘pilgrims’ in the old King James.

What if we really believed that and thought and acted that way?  What would that look like?

Well, we wouldn’t be looking to get really comfortable here, as if we owned our house, our car, our stuff.  It’s actually not ours – it’s on loan to us for a little while.  We’d be thankful for the use of it and we’d share it with everybody.

We wouldn’t expect the folks around us to understand us or the way we look at life.  We wouldn’t be completely offended by those who don’t want to acknowledge the Christ of Christmas or who think Black Friday is a national holiday.  They don’t know Him!  We’d be humbled to introduce them to the One who loves them so.

We wouldn’t speak to the ones ‘of this world’ in the same language we’re familiar with.  We’d speak to them in words they can relate to and understand.  We would remember how much we have in common with them. 

We wouldn’t think of this world as home at all.  We don’t belong here.  We aren’t staying here.  This is very temporary and truly is a blink of an eye in light of eternity.  We would always be thinking about our Father who is getting excited about all He is preparing for us with Him.  About going HOME. 

I want to remember this.  I want to live with this in mind… I am just traveling through here. 

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*Those pilgrim candles up there are exactly like the ones my mom got out every Thanksgiving.  I played with them for hours, along with the Indians and the turkey that went with them.  I’m sure they sat down to eat with my trolls and my Barbies.  Somewhere along the way they were probably sent to the Salvation Army along with mom’s basket cornucopia and the felt leaf coasters I glued sequins onto.  Sniff.