Coming home

Late Wednesday night I (Tim) was on an airplane returning from meetings for the NMDP in Charlotte, NC. A young woman was sitting next to me wearing military fatigues. We did not converse until the end of the flight. (I slept most of the flight. I hope I did not snore.) Right before we were leaving the plane I asked her if she was going home. She said that she was returning home to Mankato after a year in Afghanistan. I told her thank you for her service and then her turn came to leave the plane. A few minutes later as I walked up to the baggage claim I saw the woman’s family mob her. Her mother approached her at a run and did not let up the hug for a solid five minutes even when other family members tried to get in. I felt a wave of emotion cover me as I watched the reunion. As I processed the interaction, I thought about Heaven. The Bible makes it clear that when I stand before God and hear him say “well done, good and faithful servant”, that will be the best moment of all time. The God of the universe running to me and welcoming me into Heaven is something I cannot imagine being worthy of, but that is what will happen. Fortunately it is not about my worth, but His grace. How cool is that? It is one of the many reasons I am a Christian.