A Child at Home

“While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber, I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper story of the house of the Lord forever.” C. H. Spurgeon

This morning in my time with the Lord He allowed such a precious mental visit to my childhood and my wonderful West Manor home in Lancaster.  I can get lost in my memories of that time… that place…that home…it’s representation…it’s complete joy.  It was a beautiful home, one of love, laughter, faith and family not to mention it’s architectural beauty.  It was a two-story Georgian home with four white columns that had an upper balcony as if the home was wearing a beautiful pendant.  It was a joy to have my friends over as we roamed the 5 ½ acres and played in my upstairs bedroom with a white canopy poster bed adorned with wispy pink bedding.  At the end of the day when I ascended those stairs and walked into my bedroom, there was a complete sense of safety, contention and completeness.  Some nights one of my sisters would want to sleep with me and other nights I would ask them.  Sometimes I would hear a tap on the door and it was either Mother or Daddy coming to sit with me and talk.  It was my happy place and a place where I have gone in my mind many times over the course of my life.  When I read Spurgeon’s quote this morning about dying and going to heaven being like going upstairs I immediately thought of my bedroom.  Life below in the main house was good with all the excitement and laughter of our family but going upstairs to my room was heaven because it was all mine.  It was fashioned and decorated just for me and no else had to live there. 

This is how I picture heaven when Jesus spoke in John 14:1-2.  I can hear Him encouraging us that we don’t have to be troubled when life is heart-breaking.  He is already upstairs preparing our rooms for us.  And when it is our day to ascend upstairs to our perfectly fashioned and designed room He would have thought of everything.  It will be a beautiful mansion with innumerable bedrooms where we will move about and throughtout freely living and loving with our loved ones.  I can already hear the tap on the door as Daddy wishes to come and sit with me.  I can already hear Beth trying to talk me in to letting her sleep with me promising and pleading she won’t sleepwalk again.  Those are my limited childlike dreams of what heaven will be like.  But for now, I am just downstairs on this earth trying to get along with the world’s family and roaming around the acres with my friends and intimate family.  For now, I am a child at home with God seeing His veiled glory, but someday I will see Him face to face in the city I will call home… Heaven.