Where the Heart Is

If you read any of my stuff, or maybe even if you don’t, you’ve heard about the tornado that devastated the town of Delmont.  I grew up in Delmont.  Well, actually I grew up on a farm a few miles west of town, but I went to school there and played ball there.  Hearing about the tornado there has affected me quite a bit.  And, to be honest I’m not sure why.  Yes, it’s my home town, but what does that mean, exactly?

Here’s what I’m trying to say.  When my adopted home town of Wessington Springs was hit by a tornado last year, I understood my feelings.  It’s not that many years ago we lived in Wessington Springs.  We still go back and visit sometimes.  We still have a lot of friends there.  We have a lot of happy memories there.  It makes perfect sense to me that I was sad to hear about the destruction there last year.

But Delmont?  I haven’t lived there in over thirty years.  I haven’t set foot in the town for at least a few years, and haven’t spent any significant time there since the United Methodist church closed and my parents moved to Armour.  I haven’t particularly kept in touch with anybody there.  Not that I dislike them or anything, we’ve just kind of drifted apart as time has gone on.  Yet, hearing about the tornado has really affected me.  Why should that be?

All I can think of is that, for better or worse, Delmont was home.  And no matter what home is like, it’s still home.  Maybe we always have an emotional tie to “home”, regardless of how long it’s been since we were there and regardless of what home was really like.

Maybe that’s why we have such an emotional tie to life on earth, too.  We know that, by God’s grace and through our faith, a better life is waiting for us in heaven.  Yet, most of us are very reluctant to leave earth to go there.  Many of us fight as hard as we can to keep our lives on earth, even if our lives on earth are not all that good.

Don’t take this the wrong way.  I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that.  I’m just trying to figure out why we feel that way.  And maybe one of the reasons is that, even when our life on earth is not good, earth is still our home.  And we have an emotional tie to our home here on earth, even though we know in our minds that a better life is waiting for us to heaven.

That’s not a bad thing.  That’s a good thing.  It’s something God gave us.  God gave us that emotional tie to our home here on earth.  God wants us to stay here until God decides it’s time for us to leave.

I not sure how much sense all of this makes.  Maybe it just comes down to the old saying that home is, after all, where the heart is.  And all of our hearts are tied to home, regardless of what home is.

Anyway, please continue to pray for Delmont.  Things are getting better there, but it’s going to take some time before things are close to like they were.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated.