This is My Country

"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. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
Hebrews 11: 13-16

     In the grand scheme of things, I am one of the luckiest, richest women on earth, not because I own five hundred pairs of shoes or use cashmere burp cloths, but because I am an American, living in a beautiful home that is paid in full. I have a husband who adores me, two lovely daughters, my parents and siblings live nearby. I have a car, a job, excellent health and three pets. I have never been hungry a day in my 51 years. I have never been sued, raped or abused. A bevy of caring friends and neighbors surround me and I know Jesus as my best friend.
     With all of this, there are still times of depression or discouragement. I live behind locked doors, just in case. Sin still permeates this broken world.
     As the old hymn goes: "I am but a stranger here; Heaven is my home." Within the New Jerusalem, nothing evil shall ever enter! There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. God shall wipe away all tears from my eyes. He, himself, will be with me.
    Only then shall I truly proclaim: "This is my country, land that I love."