Where Are You Most Happy?

I always look forward to and enjoy time at my parents' home, the house that I halfway grew up in. I say halfway because we moved there in my teens, so the other half was at our other house. :-) I've realized lately, though, that when I am there I look forward to going back to my own home. When I arrive there, however, I quickly begin to miss my brothers and begin looking forward to the next trip a few miles out west.

The same is true when I'm in Arkansas. I'm always looking forward to the next visit to Kentucky, my husband's hometown, but a couple days after being there, I'm ready to go back to Arkansas. This never fails to be true with any mission trip or vacation as well. For example, I'm hoping so much for a beach trip this year, but I know from past experience that almost as soon as I get there, I'll be getting ready to be back in my own bed, kitchen, etc.

All of that got me to thinking where it is that I am really most happy. Sure, there are moments in life that make me truly happy, like when I'm in a crowd of people singing my favorite song with a beautiful piano accompanying us in the background. I wouldn't want even those moments to last forever, though, as eventually I'd want to move on to something else that makes me happy, like watching a good movie with my husband and then sleeping in the next morning with the windows open and birds chirping. All of these things and places make me happy, but only temporarily. None of them would make me happy permanently. I can't even choose one place or thing or combination of the two that makes me 'most' happy. They all have their drawbacks that decrease their 'happy-ability' (side note: making up words makes me happy, too).

I had a conversation with a friend this week about longing for heaven. We both agreed that we don't do a very good job of that. There's too many things we want to do in life, like getting married and having kids and everything else that goes along with that 'happily ever after' life. We talked for a long time about why we think those things will make us happier than the return of Christ would make us. What are we looking to as our all-consuming passion and source of joy?

I'm pretty sure that heaven will be the place that truly makes me the most happy. In fact, it will be more than happiness. It will be joy. True joy. I'm 100 percent positive that once I get there, I won't be ready to return. That is home...real home. Do I really long for that? Do I look forward to my eternal residency there? Am I eagerly awaiting the return of Christ? If so, that changes everything about the way that I live here.