There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross
the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest
in peace with Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where
Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious
bleeding side.
---Fanny J. Crosby, 1875
There are lots of sayings, maxims, proverbs, and mottos
around the concept of ‘home’. Many of them are cross-stitched on pillows, and
the rest are internet memes. I’ll admit, I have my favorites. From the musical The
Wiz, “When I think of home, I think of the
place where there’s love overflowing.” And another of my favorites goes
something like, “Home. Where the people who know you best still let you in at
the end of every day.” There is just something about being home, of being fully known and fully
loved, just because you are.
I think hymnist great Fanny J. Crosby may have been thinking
of home when she penned this verse nearly 150 years ago. Here in this life we
get glimpses and glimmers of love and of joy. We know communion with God, and
fellowship with others. We find purpose and fulfillment in pouring out our
lives in service for a needy world. But there is a knowing, an immersion, that may only fully happen when we
leave this part of life behind, when the things that bind us to this world let
us go.
Or, as St. Paul said, “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but
then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully,
even as I have been fully known.”
Home. Draw me nearer, Lord, to Your side.
