day twenty seven: sehnsucht

Jayme Thompson

Hebrews 8:10-12 “…I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor or a man his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Revelation 21:2-4 “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.’”

Boy, this is starting to feel like the 40 days that won’t end. The warm weather and seeing the trees in bloom has put a little gypsy in my soul and I just want to party. I’m soooooo ready for Easter.

I’d like some lemonade and a long afternoon, some sand castle tools and an empty beach, maybe a sundress and a floppy hat, or perhaps I could just watch my dog make that funny smiley face she makes when it’s hot outside. Ahhhhhh... Sounds good… really good.

Too bad that as soon as I get it, I’ll just want something more or something else. Sigh.

I fear that our contemporary wealth of options disorients us so that we do not even know what we want. Sometimes we think we experience hunger when we really thirst. Sometimes we’re lonely in a crowd. We rage when we should weep. We do not know what we want, but when we’re quiet and alone we recognize our inner poverty.

One day, several years ago, while reading, I learned the name of my ache. It’s "Sehnsucht." This German word doesn’t have an exact English equivalent. It means longing, but it carries nostalgia and desire with it too. C.S. Lewis used it to define Joy. That helped me understand. When I use it, what I mean is: Homesick. There’s an ache in me because I am homesick for a place I’ve never been. I feel longing for a love I have not fully known. I have a sense of nostalgia for something I cannot yet remember. I carry a belief that true and lasting joy will one day reach its full potential.

Come quickly Lord Jesus.

I am eager for Easter.