REDECORATING OUR HOTEL ROOM
Can you imagine refurbishing a hotel room where you're staying for only one night? My wife loves decorating and creating beautiful things. So when we travel, she makes special note of the decor, frequently expressing her opinion about how our hotel room is decorated. “That picture doesn’t match the wallpaper... the furniture is out of style... the bedspread is so…‘last year.’” OK, she’s not QUITE that bad.
But one thing she’s never done, despite staying in some places with really ugly decor. She’s never tried to renovate the room. Can you imagine me running out for a pizza, only to return and find Linda hanging new wallpaper in our hotel room? That would not bode well with yours truly!
Know why? Because we’re only staying for one night. We’re simply passing through town and we’ll be home soon. While we’re away, we need a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in. That’s all our room means to us. It’s not worth investing the time and money into something we’ll experience for such a brief moment.
That got me thinking. Scripture informs us that this world is not our home. We're on a journey through life. As believers we are “resident aliens and foreigners in this world.” (I Peter 2:11). If someone asks where your home is, you could reply, "I'm an alien from another world.” After all, “we are citizens of heaven." (Philippians 3:20). But since we’re surrounded by the physical, our default is to get caught up in all we see around us. Enjoy this life to the fullest; but remember, it’s not our home.
Rather than immersing ourselves in this life and anchoring our roots in earthly concerns, let’s remember where our home is. Don’t settle down and get too comfortable. We’re only here for a short time. Then we’ll head home. And we certainly won't have to worry about the decor, because it's "out of this world."
What arenas of this life am I too preoccupied with? (such as physical appearance, politics, possessions, etc.)
What steps can I take to disentangle from them?
"Father, thank you that this world is not my home. Show me the foolishness of remaining overly-attached to this world, and enable me through the power of your Holy Spirit to disconnect.”