The Ultimate Homecoming!

Editorial by Rob Gettys

Have you noticed that the older we get, the more we talk about the olden days and even relish the idea of meeting up with our “long-lost friends” again? Were things that much better back then, or is it that our memory and nostalgia makes it seem that way? Oftentimes, the things we remember most from our childhood can seem larger than life, and returning to them can seem less glamorous as we had once imagined.

Every spring on the campus of Highland View Academy (HVA), teachers, faculty, former students and even current students celebrate Alumni Weekend. This event provides an opportunity for friends and family to reminisce. So many of us have grown accustomed to traveling and spending time with friends from both near and far that we have taken this ease for granted. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic altered and delayed many of our reunions and homecomings.

Jesus, however, gives us a wonderful promise found in John 14:1–3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am” (NIV). These verses describe a homecoming, so to speak. Although we have never been to heaven, 1 Peter 2:11 tells us that we are strangers here on earth. So it only seems natural to call heaven our home.

Let’s anticipate and prepare for that great day when we can go “home.” In the meantime, let us safely reconnect with classmates and friends at reunions and homecomings. The students and staff at HVA are looking forward to welcoming all of our alumni this April!

Rob Gettys serves as the principal of Highland View Academy.