Restlessness

 

The mornings are different. Can you feel a tinge of crispness in the mornings lately? After long, hot Summer, the welcome coolness seems to be gently hinting at change in the air. Instead of feeling hairdryer-like temperatures when we open our doors each morning, we feel the promise of Fall. There are confirmations of this truth. Football games have begun. Retailers have new displays. Pumpkin spice has begun its’ annual invasion. Inevitably, Fall will arrive.

It seems human nature is always a bit unsettled. We are fickle creatures, always a bit restless. When it is Summer, we long for Fall. In about a month, we may long for Winter. In January, we will wish it were Spring, which brings the promise of Summer, again. We just seem a bit dissatisfied. Perhaps God placed that longing so we would look forward to eternity. This dissatisfaction may be healthy. Perhaps God allows us to know there’s more. Nothing on this earth fully satisfies. Even the seasons we experience and love seem to pale as we become ready for the next season.

 

The same holds true for seasons in life. When we are young, we long to be older. When we are children, we want to be adults. I remember counting birthdays and would declare my age between birthdays in increments such as, “I’m ten and a half years old.” I believe I wanted to be a “grown-up” to be mature, authoritative, and respected.

There is a point, however, when we shift from desiring to age to desiring to escape the consequences of age. As we age and deteriorate, we become keenly aware of our mortality and the brevity of life on earth. Life’s seasons begin to point us toward something more. The desire to be mature and to “have it together” fades and we begin reflecting on the blessings of life, reevaluating our priorities, and realizing how we may have misappropriated our love and attention. We realize this temporary journey is just that…temporary.

Somehow, we realize we were created for something more than the troubles of this present age. Those who have trusted Jesus Christ and who display the truth of their belief by evidence in their lives, are called Christians.

In her book, Heaven, Your Real Home, Joni Erickson Tada writes:

When a Christian realizes his citizenship is in heaven, he begins acting as a responsible citizen of earth. He invests wisely in relationships because he knows they’re eternal. His conversations, goals, and motives become pure and honest. . . He spreads the good news of Christ because he longs to fill heaven’s ranks with his friends and neighbors. All this serves the pilgrim well not only in heaven, but on earth; for it serves everyone around him.

We live on this earth for such a brief time. Many of the things that absorb our attention and energy seem important for a time but are eclipsed by the truth of eternity. Investing in relationships and sharing the love and truth of Jesus are invaluable. We, as pilgrims in this world, also have the answer to the restlessness in the hearts of others. When truth is stated in these ways, our priorities change for the better.

Christian, in what relationships are you investing? Have you considered it? As you rush through life, meeting deadline after deadline and facing one crisis after another, have you prioritized building relationships? In those relationships, has your method of living and ways of treating others earned you the right to share the truth of eternal life or voided that right? We may rarely ask these questions, but a world of people critiquing the sincerity of God judge Him by our lives, whether fair or not.

So, what does a citizen of heaven look like in a world that is not his home? He is an ambassador. An ambassador is one who lives in another country while retaining his home citizenship. He represents his country, promoting and guarding his country’s interests. All this time he remembers and recognizes that the country in which he temporarily resides is not his home, nor shall it ever be his home. He maintains and follows his mission. This is what the world expects of those calling themselves Christians. Like it or not, that very word marks us as ambassadors. More importantly, this is what God expects. After writing to the church at Corinth concerning our heavenly citizenship, Paul writes, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal though us” (2 Corinthians 5:20a).

Are you restless? Are you ready for Fall? Will you find yourself restless for the next season in a few weeks? Maybe that is not such a bad thing. Perhaps it can serve as a reminder to be restless for bigger things. You, if you are a follower of Christ, should be restless. You are a citizen of heaven. You have the wonderful assignment of being an ambassador while on earth. You have the greatest priority of prioritizing relationships with the end goal of sharing the message of eternity with others. It is good to be restless.

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