Hope and Home

Outside Her Tower Walls

I’ve taken a liking to Walt Disney’s newest animated feature recently: Tangled. It tells the familiar story of Rapunzel, the girl who lived locked in a high tower with long, magical hair. Disney takes it own great twist on the fairytale of course, with endearing and witty characters, gorgeous animation, and a spectacular score by Alan Menken. 

In the movie, Rapunzel, now eighteen years old, is longing to see the world outside her tower. She has been there since her alleged “mother” kidnapped her from her real, royal parents. (I’m not spoiling anything here you wouldn’t learn in the first 60 seconds of the movie, so don’t worry). Rapunzel’s heart yearns for something better (her first song is “When Will My Life Begin?”). She doesn’t know exactly what she’s missing; she just knows that her tower isn’t where she’s meant to be…there’s something so much more. Her true home is calling her, and so she has hope.

Our True Home

And we know that our true Home is calling us. The Bible says that there is a better country, a “heavenly one,” with a city God has prepared for us (Hebrews 11:16), and that “we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors are sent on a temporary assignment to represent another in a foreign land. Likewise, as believers we are called to share the gospel and our lives with others while we are here on this earth, loving them with the love of Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:8, NIV).  It is a privilege and a joy to live for Christ in this way. But we also know that “to die is gain,” (Philippians 1:21) because we will then be with Jesus, face to face forever. As I talked about in my King of Kings post, this is cause for great joy!

So brothers and sisters: “…do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). So let us share the Good News (Isaiah 52:7, Matthew 11:28), and let us also take encouragement today that the trials of this earth are fleeting. But there will be a day when we’ll join with hosts of angels, praising the Name Above All Names forever. Hold fast to this promise and hope. 

Below is a song by a favorite artist of mine about longing for our True Home. Check it out—“Heaven Song” by Phil Wickham. 

Blessings,

Joanne Michelle

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”  
–Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV)