We Are Pilgrims

Hebrews 11:13-16. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.”

As a kid, the word pilgrim conjured up images of people who lived a long time ago and wore funny clothes. One definition is “a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place.” Does the world seem like a foreign place to you, even when you are in your home?

Hebrews 11 starts with recounting great people of faith, and then gets to verse 13 and says that they did not receive the things promised – they only saw them from a distance. Their great hope and expectation was not anything they would experience on earth – rather, it was something that they would enjoy in heaven.

The world does seem like a foreign place to me most of the time. There are problems and much suffering. Things don’t seem to be getting a whole lot better. I am at an age where I am very aware of physical limitations that didn’t exist thirty years ago. And although I have wonderful blessings of family, friends, meaningful work, and much more, the world just isn’t the “be all and end all” for me. I think that’s because we are wired to desire heaven, and we know in our hearts that heaven will be a “better country.” So we are pilgrims while we are here on earth.

Now I don’t want this to sound depressing, because God certainly intends for us to live joyful and meaningful lives, and I am a testimony to this truth! Being a pilgrim means being on a journey filled with adventure and excitement. And it’s a journey that is leading to something wonderful beyond our comprehension.