Home where I belong

Early contemporary songs are usually appreciated by more mature people, perhaps because those people have listened to those songs for a long enough time to get to appreciate them. The previous entry (Be Magnified)  expands on that concept a bit. Today I'm looking at the contemporary song "Home Where I Belong" written by  Pat Terry © 1976 Word Music in the 1970s.
It plays in my head at odd times and unusually frequently too, as if compelling me to write something about it. So here goes ...
 
The song opens by quoting a statement:

"They say that heaven's pretty
Living here is too"

We are immediately presented with two distinct locations for habitation; heaven and here (earth). It is noted that people describe both locations as pretty.
I have never been to heaven so I only get a notion of how pretty it is from descriptions in the bible. However, I have lived all my life here on earth so I can tell you that living here truly is pretty too.

I live in Africa where sunsets are predominantly golden and sunrises are serene. We have breathtaking mountain views and dazzling beach fronts. But life is not complete without food. They make a lovely mocha with cream at my work canteen that is just happiness in a bottle. Those huge ribs and steaks they make at Steers, the big Mac burger and the chicken and pineapple pizza (with a double portion of pineapple), those things are what sweet dreams are made of. Them and chocolate cake cookies with whipped cream.

I have also had the pleasure of feeling my adrenalin rush while speed boating down the Zambezi river. The excitement of fishing for Tiger fish in Lake Kariba. Just you, the water, the fish and the horizon. More adventurous people probably have more exciting experiences of their pretty living.
The statement is thus quite true, they say (in the Bible) that heaven is pretty but we can confirm that living here on earth is pretty too.

Then we get

"But if they said that I
would have to choose between the two
I'd go home, going home, where I belong"

When challenged to make a choice, the singer will choose heaven, which he calls home. Choices are difficult to make in life, especially when the options appear equal. Often though, it is easier to take more visible and tangible options than those that are not clearly visible or those that rely on chance or some plausible calculations and anticipations. You want to choose options that others have tried and succeeded with before than unknown ones. Here though, the singer prefers the less humanly tangible option, heaven. The rest of the song gives clues as to why this choice was made.

The first reason is identified in that same verse. Home is where the singer belongs. That implies that they feel that they belong more in heaven than on earth. I know quite a bit about environments where I have a sense of belonging and those where I feel that I don't belong. It doesn't matter how pretty the scenery is or indeed how tasty the food is, if the company doesn't give us a sense of belonging then we find ourselves quick to remove ourselves from it. Of course we make sacrifices from time to time to stay in such uncomfortable environments because of some gain we hope to get out of them. In those cases we have no options.

Now saying that one belongs in heaven more than on earth is quite a statement.  The singer is failing to fit in on earth. Their experiences have not convinced them that they belong here. There is a feeling of being uncomfortable in earthly surroundings. They are homesick.

And sometimes when I'm dreaming
It comes as no surprise
That if you look you'll see
The homesick feeling in my eyes

The homesickness is now revealed as being quite severe. Medically, homesickness (or any type of longing) causes distress and anxiety. Here the singer mentions that you can see the homesickness signs in their eyes. Perhaps this is a result of stress that makes adrenalin rush to cause eye dilation. This fatigues eye muscles from the increase in eye ticks. Increased stress may also cause eye to bulge.

There is no medical cure for homesickness. It is frequently suggested that perhaps keeping in touch with people at home can help. There are many ways of trying to keep in touch with our heavenly home, which translates to keeping in touch with God. Prayer and meditation are obvious choices. Sometimes simply going to church helps too. The singer however has a different approach:

While I'm here I'll serve him gladly
And sing Him all my songs

The singer is keeping in touch with God by singing Him lots of songs! I think that is a brilliant and beautiful solution. Serving Him gladly (in any way possible) is also mentioned.

I'm here, but not for long

This realization is important. It is an important distinction to be able to make at any point in life. The distinction between where you are and where you are going. The singer is well aware of where they are but they have not lost sight of where they are going. Understanding where you are makes you live appropriately, in a manner that is acceptable in your current environment. Knowing where you are going gives you energy, hope and keeps you focused.

And when I'm feeling lonely
And when I'm feeling blue
It's such a joy to know that
I am only passing through

Here we hear more effects of homesickness; loneliness and feeling blue (sad, low and depressed). Indeed life can be quite challenging and depressing. We have all had disappointments at some point.  Sometimes it is not just disappointments that make us feel low. Sometimes it is just plain old boredom, sometimes the feeling just overwhelms us for no particular reason. The singer uses the knowledge that they are only passing through to take away the sad feelings in such situations. They understand that even if they don't receive all the good things in life here, there will have another chance to have better things in a better country.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11 : 13 – 16

The last verse is in the song is one of my all time favourite song verses:

And one day I'll be sleeping,
When death knocks on my door
And I'll awake to find that
I'm not homesick any more
Cause I'll be home, I'll be home, where I belong

The words are simple but the meaning is explosive.
One day the homesickness is going to be gone, awakening to find that we are home where we belong. It is a celebratory verse rather than a sad one even though it mentions death. Of course we will not all die in our sleep as the verse says. The analogy is used because of the similarities in the feeling of waking up from earthly death. That day the body will not have the signs of stress and sadness. It will be a different body. The blue feelings will be gone, replaced with the thrill of victory.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15: 54-55     

Don't we all long for that day?