Adventists resonate deeply with Hebrews 11. We believe we have not yet received the Promise — Christ has not yet returned with our eternal home. Like our ancestors in faith, we may die without receiving the reward yet
That reality shifts priorities. If we truly take this verse seriously, it becomes harder to justify partisan outrage or getting lost in the churn of politics. I have long enjoyed the give-and-take of American political life, but this passage reminds me: I don’t really belong here.
I have never felt deeply rooted in one place. My sense of home comes from people — from family, near or far. And as my cousin Louise once said about a particularly difficult aunt: “I don’t care. She’s family and I love her.” No political agreement required. No emotional safety bubble. Just the bond of belonging.
If we are strangers here, then debates about borders, nations, and “outsiders” lose their sting. Not because we’re chasing political points, but because this is not our permanent country. We are restless for a city with eternal foundations, designed and built by God. And nothing on earth matches that.
This does not mean withdrawal from the world. Scripture calls us to engage it — to love, serve, and work for good. But it does mean holding loosely to the things of this life, knowing that most of what angers or upsets us won’t matter in a hundred years. From eternity’s view, we may shake our heads at how fiercely we clung to the temporary.
Like Abraham and the patriarchs, I want only enough to provide for my loved ones, a place to rest, and a faith that keeps me moving toward the city God is preparing. Life is short. Eternity is the goal. And believing in it is the only thing that matters.
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