By Lynna Clark

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” — Psalm 23:6

“Wow Lord! This is beautiful! Where are we?”

He smiled the biggest smile. “This is your new home! I’ve been working on it for quite a while. Just added a few finishing touches I knew you’d like. What do you think of the view?”

“Oh! It’s stunnning. The lake sparkles like diamonds.”

“Yes. I knew you always longed for a place by the water. Your neighbor’s above ground pool didn’t really count.”

I laughed a bit too loud at that then realized he was laughing too. Suddenly I felt very humbled. “Lord, it’s so much. I never expected all this. The trees are gorgeous. And you know how much I love wildflowers. Nobody does beauty like you do. I sure wished I could be as creative as you, but I always seemed to come up lacking.”

He smiled down at me. “That creativity that lived in your heart? I put that there. I knew you would try until your dying breath to make something beautiful. But now you are truly home. One of your gifts here is strength. Strength to do all the beautiful things your heart desires. Now it’s time to live in my house.

Forever.

No more packing, moving, wandering, or pulling weeds from the flowerbeds.” He laughed again as if we shared a secret. Apparently he knows me well. He took my hand and gazed into my eyes.

“Well daughter, how does it feel to be home?”

I fell to my knees at his feet and wished for an alabaster box to break open in worship. Instead I just wept at his goodness. He placed a warm hand of blessing on my head. A moment later he lifted me into his strong arms and circled me with a hug.

“C’mon. I can’t wait until you see the inside.”

We walked hand in hand toward the house. “I like that it’s a cottage. When you said mansion, I worried that it might be a bit big and drafty.”

Again he laughed. “I didn’t think you’d want to live in opulence like the Beverly Hillbillies with the cement pond. This is more your style.”

As we stepped inside, again I was amazed. There just were no words. Sweet Jesus broke the silence and gently thumbed away the tears on my face.

“Welcome home beloved daughter. No more sorrow, or tears, or crying. Just enter into the joy of the Lord!

You are going to love it here!”