Before We Leave

Have you ever felt a strange sadness at the end of a vacation or a journey far from home?

You pack your suitcase, check the hotel room one last time, and step outside to wait for an Uber, taxi, or bus. Around you, the city continues as usual. People are walking to work, buying coffee, opening their shops, or hurrying to appointments. For them, it is an ordinary morning. But for you, it is a farewell.

You look at the streets differently because you know you are leaving.

The buildings seem more beautiful. The sounds feel more meaningful. Even the crowds you hardly noticed before suddenly become part of something you will miss. Nothing around you has changed. What has changed is your awareness that your time there is ending.

Scripture says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14).

We often live as though everything around us will remain forever. We become absorbed in our routines, responsibilities, possessions, and plans. Like the people walking through that city, we become so familiar with our surroundings that we stop noticing them. We forget to appreciate the people beside us. We postpone kind words, delay forgiveness, and assume there will always be another opportunity.

But we are all travelers.

One day, we will leave every city, every home, every position, and every possession. This truth is not meant to make us sad or fearful. It is meant to awaken us. Knowing that our time is limited teaches us to live with gratitude, love more deeply, and recognize the presence of God in what appears ordinary.

The awareness that we are leaving helps us see what was precious all along.

And yet, our journey does not end in emptiness. Through Christ, we are traveling toward a home that will never be taken from us. The city we leave behind may continue without us, but the eternal city of God is waiting to receive us.

So, from time to time, pause in the middle of your routine. Look around. Give thanks. Cherish the people God has placed beside you. Live gratefully in the city of today, while keeping your heart turned toward the City that is to come.