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I’ve been homesick lately. Not for my home state of Texas (although it is worthy of homesickness), but for heaven. I have to admit that for years and years, I could hear other Christians speak of a longing for heaven that I could never really identify with. Well, I could if things were rough or if I was moments away from an exam I wasn’t ready to take. But most of the time I could only identify with a deep yearning to see God face to face. The idea of actually staying on the other side of eternity after that has mostly been mind-boggling and not all that appealing to me. Not to mention that I have always felt like I have a lot to do (and experience) on this side of eternity before I’d be ready to transition to heaven.

What initially felt ironic about my homesickness is that I’m in one of the best places I’ve ever been in life relationally, spiritually, and in the other significant ways. Life feels good right now. This seems like the time I would be the least interested in God ushering in eternity sooner rather than later. But that’s not where I’ve been recently. I have longed for heaven.  In seminary, they refer to our waiting for eternity as “the now and the not yet.” The Westminster Catechism says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” and I have found myself wanting the eternal side of “forever” to begin.

But while it’s been a little surprising that this good place in life has born a greater homesickness in me, it is starting to make sense. As I have seen God’s goodness to me personally, and as I have sat with clients and seen God meet them in silencingly powerful ways, it has made me want to live with Him and worship Him face to face every day. Experiencing God’s strength in the “now” has made me long all the more for the “not yet.” I can hardly imagine what it must be like to experience God and all of Who He is, unhindered by these finite limitations.

In the meantime, my homesickness has made me want to know even more how to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” this week, this month, this year. My desire to glorify Him in the “not yet” (free from all the finite inhibitions) is feeding my desire to glorify Him in the “now.” I’m fortunate enough to have a job that gives me a platform to glorify God daily by inviting others to a deeper relationship with Him. My desire as a counselor is to be a part of peoples’ spiritual maturation and growth so that as they heal from the wounds that bind them, they can go love and serve God more freely. I also have the opportunity (along with everyone) to glorify God in the way I interact with others during the more mundane moments of grocery shopping and ordering coffee.

Still, I find myself asking God, “What else?” It’s not about not doing enough, but about wondering what else is out there for me to participate in that will glorify Him and further His kingdom. Now, I have a few ideas and irons in the fire that I’ll not mention because they are unique to me and I’m not trying to create a template for glorifying God. That being said, I hope that my musings stir something inside of you that doesn’t take you to “What’s wrong with me?” or “Am I doing enough?” but does send you to the throne asking if there’s anything more He has for you to experience that will begin and end with bringing glory to Him.