 Jerry was born on a farm in one of the Midwestern states of North America. As a boy he learned to ride a horse and roamed all over the wide-open spaces he could see from his home.
He loved everything about the place. He loved the horses,
the cows, the sheep, the dogs, and the chickens. He loved the rambling old farmhouse and the room that he called his own. And most of all he loved his father and mother. He gladly worked for them, in the house and in the fields. |
Jerry hoped he would never have to leave the place. But one day he was called into the Army and sent off to fight in a foreign land.
Although he was sent overseas, Jerry’s heart was still at home. He longed for the horrible war to end so that he could return to his homeland and see his father and mother again! He often looked up at the stars as he was standing guard and dreamed of that happy time.
At last the day came, and he set off for home. After a long, long journey he arrived at the village where he was to catch the bus that went by his farm. Alas, when he got to the bus station he discovered that the last bus had gone!
Poor Jerry! What could he do now?
All the stores and gas stations were closed. And to make things worse, it began to rain in torrents. Suddenly he spied an old car outside a garage. It was a wreck, with its windshield broken and one of its fenders off. But Jerry thought to himself, If I can wake the owner up and buy the car, then I’ll be able to drive home.
 So he hammered on the door until somebody came. He bought the old car with the last of the money he had in his pockets. Then he started for home in the middle of the night.
Do you think he cared that it was raining hard?
Do you think he cared that he was soaked to the skin?
No, he was going home! Every turn of the wheels, every bump of the road, cried, “Home, home, home!”
When he arrived there and saw his dear parents again, his joy was too great for words. Yes, he was finally home!
We, too, are on our way to our heavenly home. Every boy and girl who loves God is going there. It is a beautiful and joyous home with “many mansions”—enough for everybody who wants to be there. And within its walls there will be no more pain, nor sickness, nor death, nor tears. All the conflicts of this world will be forgotten.
 We must not let anything hinder us from going there—neither trouble, nor hardship, nor suffering. Through storm and darkness, rain and hail, we must continue toward our goal.
This glorious home is not far away. Every morning finds us closer to it. Every evening we are a day’s march nearer to it. And everything that is happening in the world today, everything we do to tell people of Jesus and His love, cries, “Home, home, home!”
Someday soon we shall be there, and Jesus will meet us with open arms and a loving welcome. What a homecoming that will be!
Adapted from Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories,
vol. 11, p. 79. |
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