Preparing the Guest Room

My youngest daughter, Kendra, who is a music teacher in Illinois, is coming home by train today. One doesn’t meet trains too often these days but I will meet her in Chesterton, Indiana at 1:52 P.M. Friday was her last day of school and this is her first free week. Her husband who is busy with basketball camp will come on Saturday to spend Father’s Day weekend here. I am very excited. The older I get the more excited I get to have my children come to visit. Maybe it is that the older my children get the better they get. This mom has always thought her kids to be the best as most other mothers do but now that they are adults and making good and right decisions all on their own, I take such joy in them.

I have to confess that after I awoke at one o’clock this morning, I could not get back to sleep. I began to think of all the fun things we have planned for this week, the excitement rose in me and I couldn’t put my thoughts to sleep again. I tossed and turned. Got up and got a drink. Counted sheep. I tried anything to get my mind off the rest of the week. I saw four o’clock but must have given in to slumber at some point after that. I woke up at five thirty and was delighted to see daylight and the opportunity to get the show on the road. I had things to do to prepare. I gave a quick dusting to the furniture in the guest room and that was all it needed to be ready. There were a few other housekeeping duties I wanted out of the way so I can enjoy the week with my family.

The Bible tells us that God, also, gets excited when one of His children is coming home. I know He doesn’t loose sleep over it because the Word tells us “He that keepeth Israel (God’s people) never slumbers nor sleeps”. (That’s a comfort, what would happen to us if God slept?) Jesus tells us that He has gone to prepare His guest room for us and it will be our very own. We won’t go for only a visit, but we will take up permanent residence there one day. It’s all a bit over my head and maybe over yours, too. That is where I have to practice my faith and leave all the details with the Lord. There is a sixty-ish lady in our church whom got a devastating report at the doctor two weeks ago and is already a hospice patient. I think Jesus has her room in His mansion nearly ready. I pray God fills her dear heart with a longing to be with Him as she lives out her last days here on earth. Pray for Emily and her husband John.