I don’t remember his name, but a guest speaker from a chapel once gave a sermon that has, for some reason, stayed close to my heart. It was about nostalgia. So, thank you, for all who speak on this topic.

Nostalgia, he argued, can take the form as a yearning for home—for heaven.
…..It is the tip of the iceberg called marvelous glory which we see on earth.
…..It is the sweet smell of that which we cannot quite remember the name.
…..It is a moment when God reveals a glimpse of the life which is to come.
…..It is one of His many gifts to us that keeps our eyes fixed on Him.

Back then, I thought it was limited to when my heart swelled at the crashing waves of the ocean. Now that I’m in the midst of this battle, nostalgia has a whole new dimension of meaning to me.

Let me side-track here: Pain in this life is inevitable—we live in a broken world (Genesis 3). Often we forget and get too caught up in the moment: that midterm becomes worth losing sleep over, this appointment is worth stressing out about, etc.

This is not the end…it is a step to a new beginning.

Yet, things of this world can too easily overwhelm us. We become blind to the nostalgic moments existent in the most seemingly dull times in our lives.

Remember that every breath is an opportunity to partake in this experience, to know God deeper, “…seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (from Acts 17:25 KJV).

As I learn to re-prioritize, I realize that more. I no longer need (though I’d love) to be by the ocean to feel this way.

Sometimes, just sitting crumpled in pain counting each breath as a blessing is enough to fill me with this wonderful experience. Through this, God grants me peace in the darkest hours.

Nostalgia, one might say, is a calling from the Comforter which settles the cries of our souls until that beautiful reunion with our Creator.

After all, I know without a doubt that better times are to come.

I’ve tasted it. You have too, even in just a glimmer of hope.

And I pray that you know this as well, that you may “know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19 NIV).