Passing through....

I am studying a passage of scripture that most of us do not think about much. It's the passage of Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth and his thoughts on "passing through" begin in chapter 4:1 and following. It's an amazing passage, but today I want to focus on just these few verses in chapter 5-
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2Co 5:1-5 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven--God-made, not handmade-- and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move--and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less. 
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We have a hard time letting go of these old tents of ours. I can't tell you how often I have heard family members say at a funeral of a loved one, "I can't believe this has happened to us!" And through their tears they are looking for an answer from me. Did they forget that everyone dies? Don't they know that the mortality rate for the human race is still 100%? What did they think would happen when their loved one got old and ill? It's amazing how we live in denial that the fate of all mankind will be our fate as well. How do we get so attached to these frail, windblown tents of ours? I think that many I encounter have no hope of anything beyond this, so "hold onto your tent as long as you can" is their philosophy. But for us who know Christ, who have trusted him as savior, we know this is only the beginning of our lives, and these dwelling places, like tents, are temporary and will soon wear out. The hope we have is not only for our salvation, but for our new bodies...the permanent bodies that will never wear out, get sick or hurt again.
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As a "tent dweller" myself I long for that permanent residence that Christ promises me when he returns because, frankly, I'm beating this one up pretty badly. As one of my old friends tells me, "old age isn't for sissies." Age has a way of prying our fingers off of this life and making us quite aware that this will all soon end. When this life is over what's next? Have you planned for the next life by trusting Christ as your savior? If you have, then the transition from this life to the next will be like moving from the tent into a mansion. Being part of the nomad tent dwellers of planet earth I can't wait for the day when I see Christ and discover how he meant for us to live all along. Since you are just passing through this life make sure you are prepared for the life after this. I'm tired of living in tents.....I'm ready for that eternal home built on the rock.