This article is connected to our, In My Father’s House Bible Study. Click here for the table of contents.

Today is the last day of our Bible study, In My Father’s House, and somehow the title of our final chapter—Homecoming—feels more personal to me than I ever expected it would.

So much has changed in the last week. Some things I can talk about now, and some things I’m not quite ready to share yet. But one of the biggest changes is this: after six years in our home, we’re packing up and moving.

For now, we’ll be moving in with our son while we look for a permanent home in the city.

Boxes are being packed. Closets are being emptied. Plans are changing.

And as strange as it sounds, I find myself standing at a turning point much like the one I stood at six years ago when we first moved into this house.

But the house isn’t the only thing changing.

Over the last little while, I’ve realized that the pace I’ve been keeping for the past six—or maybe even ten—years has simply become too much. I love writing. I love studying the Bible with you. I love sitting down with an open Bible and discovering something that makes me stop, think, and see the Lord more clearly.

I don’t want to stop doing those things.

But I do want to do them differently.

I want more time for my family. More time for walks. More time to sit quietly with God’s Word without immediately wondering how I might turn what I’m learning into an article, a study, or something I need to finish by Friday.

Sometimes I want to read the Bible simply because I need to hear from God.

I’ll still be writing Bible studies, but they’ll probably come a little less often. In fact, I already have ideas for a Christmas study running through my head, and slowing down may be exactly what I need to give that study the time and attention it deserves.

There’s another little project I’m hoping to tell you about soon too, if the Lord continues to open doors in that direction.

So no, I don’t know exactly what the next season will look like.

And maybe that’s the hardest part about change.

Even good change has a way of stirring up emotions we didn’t expect. One day I’m excited. I can see the possibilities ahead of us, and I’m thankful for this turning point.

The next day, I wonder what we’re leaving behind.

I wonder where this road is going.

I wonder what life will look like six months from now.

Maybe you know that feeling too. You can believe God is leading you and still feel the uncertainty of leaving familiar things behind.

Faith doesn’t always come with a map.

Sometimes God gives us enough light for one step, and faith is trusting Him enough to take it.

I was reminded this week of something I wrote six years ago when we were moving into this house:

“So much has changed. In fact, our lives are barely recognizable right now, and yet I can’t help but feel that we’re exactly where God wants us to be.”

Six years ago, I was looking forward. Today, I’m looking back.

And in between are thousands of ordinary days—meals around the table, family visits, quiet mornings, difficult seasons, answered prayers, laughter, tears, growing, and learning.

A house holds a lot of memories. But leaving one we’ve loved reminds us that none of this was ever meant to be permanent. We’re passing through.

Scripture turns our eyes toward a home that is permanent:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” (Revelation 21:3, NIV)

That is the homecoming every believer is moving toward.

And suddenly, the final chapter of In My Father’s House feels especially personal. For weeks we’ve been talking about the house God is building, and now we come to Homecoming.

Maybe God knew I would need this chapter myself.

I don’t know where all of these changes are leading us.

But I know Who is leading. And for today, that’s enough.

Our earthly homes will change. Our seasons will change. The work God gives us may change too. But there is coming a day when there will be no packing boxes, no wondering what comes next, and no looking back at something precious we’re leaving behind.

We will be with the Lord.

We will be home.

Until then, faith is trusting Him with the step directly in front of us, knowing that in light of eternity, it really is just a little while.

This article is connected to our, In My Father’s House Bible Study. Continue studying God’s Word with the complete book, available now on Amazon.

This Week’s Printable

Here is this week’s printable. Click the image to view and print a higher resolution.