49ers and Raptors' Temporary Homes

For all of us, 2020 has been about pivoting, embracing change, and being adaptable. Sports teams are no different, as they have had to adjust to new protocols, schedule changes, and being temporarily placed in a different location from where they call home.

In the NBA, they went to Florida to be in the bubble to finish their season. In Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays played their home games in Buffalo, NY. The San Francisco 49ers and the Toronto Raptors are the latest teams having to spend time in a temporary home.

On Wednesday, the 49ers are heading to Arizona for three weeks because of a sports ban in Santa Clara County. Meanwhile, the Raptors will be playing their home games in Tampa Bay while sharing an arena with the NHL’s Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning.

I’m sure these displaced and unsettled teams will feel some discomfort as they wait to return to where they belong, but hopefully, they will make the most of their temporary location by focusing on what needs to be done while they're there.

Although these players will probably long for their home and face challenges while away, they know it’s only a short-term situation and they'll be home again soon.

Does this sound familiar? As followers of Jesus, we are here on earth temporarily. Although we feel discomfort and are unsettled in this world, we know we have an eternal home.

Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) tells us, "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”

We wait and long to be where we ultimately belong, but we make the most of our temporary location by focusing on our purpose and what we need to do while we are here.

God has placed us here for now and even though it’s not easy and we face challenges while we’re away from our permanent home, we cling to the hope that Jesus is preparing a place for us.

Jesus affirms this in John 14:1-3 (NLT), “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in My Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.”

Just like the 49ers will seem out of place in Arizona and the Raptors in Tampa Bay, as followers of Jesus, we experience the same thing. We don’t always fit into this world because we are residents of somewhere else...waiting to be there with eager anticipation.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT) reminds us, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.”

Today, as life continues to be tough, let’s not forget that Jesus is coming back and we will join Him in Heaven forever. Let’s cling to that hope in our temporary homes, as we make the most of our short-term life with eternity in mind.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m so thankful that this life on earth is temporary and I’m so excited to spend eternity with You. I pray I would seek Your will and purposes and remain eternally focused as I desire to make the most of the life You’ve given me here. I pray the hope of eternity would get me through the temporary challenges I face. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:

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In what ways are you glad this home is temporary?

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In what ways does the pull of this world distract you from realizing where your permanent home is?