Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
April 3, 2023
This Week's Anchor
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)
I’ve had many a conversation in my work as a psychologist and psychotherapist about the concept of home. For many of us, our sense of home has shifted and evolved over the years—from moves across states, the nation, or even the globe, to selling and buying one house for another across town, to losing family, friends, and loved ones within our immediate space or from our home community. Regardless of your experience, I imagine home looks and feels a bit different for you compared to before. As someone who, as a young career-driven woman, uprooted my life from my quaint hometown in Kentucky and re-planted it in the bustling city of Boston, redefining what home means has been an ongoing personal journey. I’ve lived away from my KY for over a decade and even still there are moments when I greatly miss the fading memory of home and the community of loved ones who make my home of KY matter. In the years immediately after my move, I’d travel back for holidays and other important events and realize the home I returned to didn’t quite feel like the home I had left. It had changed, and more importantly, I had changed. Admittedly, noticing these changes left me feeling a bit lost and displaced, sending me on the journey of finding a sense of home within myself while being reminded of the eternal Home we, as Believers, have.
Sadly, these days I often journey back to KY for the funerals of loved ones. In fact, I recently traveled home for the homegoing of a beloved cousin and was reminded even more of our home beyond this earth. As I made my way around the church to greet and reconnect with familiar faces, I had a conversation with a dear church auntie, Sis. Ruby, whom I hadn’t seen in some years. As we caught up on our lives, we acknowledged that the last time we saw each other was at the homegoing of my cherished nana. As we continued to converse, I expressed how surreal it felt to have lost my cousin at such a young age. In the most reassuring and wise words, Sis. Ruby responded, “well ya know, we’re just passing by.” It was simple, but it was everything I needed to hear at that moment. I had traveled down to KY with a lot of stress and weight on my shoulders, but as usual, celebrating the life of a loved one grounded me in what matters. This conversation and moment reminded me of our anchor scripture and the transitory nature of our stressors and experiences in this earthly home. We can get so caught up in the worries and challenges of the here and now that we easily forget this life is but a moment and that there is a Greater Home we will each, like my cousin, nana, and many others, be called to.
The thought of returning to that home can be a bit scary for us and mournful when we remember our loved ones called home before us. At the same time, remembering our Heavenly Home can also be liberating and reassuring as it secures us in an unshakable hope. Our anchor scripture encourages us in this. It affirms that:
Our troubles (and this life) are temporary
The things we experience and navigate in this life are connected to an everlasting greater Calling and Purpose that extend beyond our physical bodies and lives
In acknowledging this, we can consistently bring ourselves back to our enduring anchors (our relationship with the Holy Trinity, the Word, and faith communities) to ground us in our deeper spiritual foundation
Regardless of what or whom folks believe, life is momentary for everyone. The sobering impermanence of life puts our troubles into perspective and gives us a new outlook on living. Those of us who believe in Eternal life are called to tend to this physical home God granted us (the ones we are housed in, the cities, towns, and communities that know us well, and the dwelling of our minds-bodies-souls) while also remembering and honoring our true eternal Home.
As we enter this Holy Week, let us pause our worries and busy lives and revere the gift that Christ gave us in the sacrifice of His life—a gift of washed sins, ever-flowing grace, radical redemption, and, notably, a place we can call our Eternal Home. As we navigate life’s consistent changes and challenges, may we, in the words of a treasured gospel song, remember that one day we’re gonna return home with our crown and robe and tell the story of how we made it over. May we find peace in knowing that our earthly lives are not the end of our story. And may we embrace the boundless hope of our Heavenly Home.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from the Holy Trinity to be grounded in the hope of our eternal Home?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
John 3:16-17
John 14:1-6
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Titus 3:3-8
1 Peter 1:22-25
Revelation 7:15-17
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Reinvent yourself over and over and over and over and over until you find home. There is no timeline for the soul.” Malebo Sephodi
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