Kenny Loggins’ contributions to movie soundtracks, highlighted by his Academy Award nomination for “Footloose” in 1985, may be what keeps his music still alive today. But a song that he released eight years earlier is one that never fails to keep my hope alive, even in my darkest days.

Although I’m not sure it was his intention, I believe his song points us to the Heavenly home that God has prepared for us.

Home on Earth

I find it easy to feel overwhelmed, particularly after a long day at the office.

Even on a good day, I can’t stand the bright fluorescent lights. I struggle with the small talk I feel compelled to make with my co-workers. And I never feel truly comfortable.

It’s not my home.

While I’m at work I’m not talking to my loved ones. I’m not hanging with my friends.

I’m not at home.

I’ve been working for almost 25 years since I graduated from college, and no matter how welcoming any of my workplaces have been, they never really feel like home.

In Celebrate Me Home, the 1977 song that I can’t forget, Kenny Loggins walks us through what it’s like returning home — in his case for the holidays — after being away from his friends and family.

I believe I’ve missed each and every face…

It’s time I found myself,

Totally surrounded in your circles

Whoa, my friends

When you arrive home from work, I hope you feel the same way I do. Welcomed. Loved. At peace. At home.

The place I should be. The place I long to be when I’m away. My home.

When Home is not Enough

That said, my home life is far from perfect…though it’s the best I can hope for here on Earth.

I still argue with my kids and wife. We still deal with tough financial decisions. We make mistakes. We’re rarely all healthy.

Just a couple years ago my son suffered a torn hamstring, which led to a rare nerve condition that still isn’t fully understood…and that still causes him occasional debilitating pain.

These sorts of things happen here. On Earth. Our present home.

And often, when they occur we find ourselves, as Loggins says, too all alone.

Sometimes we all go through things that are too big for even our relatives and friends to help us through. Even the best counselors and therapists can’t truly help.

Divorce. Bankruptcy. The loss of a loved one.

At that point…when we feel too all alone…that’s the point at which our Earthly homes often aren’t quite what we need. The people in our lives aren’t quite enough to get us where we need to go. To get us past our darkest days. To lead us to where we feel completely at home.

The Best Home

God has prepared us such a place. An eternal home. An unimaginable Heavenly home beyond anything we’ve ever seen on Earth.

According to St. Paul, a tent maker by trade, our homes are like mere tents compared to Heaven.

“For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2)

We groan for Heaven. We long for it. We want more than anything to be there.

But why?

In large part because, in Heaven, we won’t have to suffer through the pain that plagues us on Earth.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Instead, we’ll be able to be with Jesus. The one who can comfort us, heal us, and show us true love and peace.

God is love, and Jesus is the “Lord of peace”. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

What could be better than living with He who is love and peace? Wouldn’t that truly feel like home…more than any home in which you’ve ever lived?

I’d argue that you’d never again feel too all alone.

Sometimes We Need a Reminder

Loggins didn’t just want to be home, though. He knew that, as his life unfolded, he’d often be away. And, at his loneliest, he knew he’d need a reminder of home just to get by.

In his estimation, the best way to remember what home feels like was through song.

Play me one more song,

That I’ll always remember,

And I can recall,

Whenever I find myself too all alone,

I can sing me home.

As a Christian, songs about God, faith, and Heaven certainly help to remind us of our eternal destination. But I’d argue that reminders aren’t all God makes available to bring Heaven close to us.

He provides His Word, Scripture, that allow us to learn more about our Heavenly family every day.

He provides His Holy Spirit to teach and guide us.

He offers prayer as a way to communicate with Him, no matter where we are.

His Church draws us closer to Him through the Sacraments and Her ministries.

His creation points us to Him.

He came to us through His Son.

Celebrating You Home

When Kenny Loggins finally arrived home, he was excited not just to be home, but because his friends and family would be excited to see him, too. In fact they’d celebrate his arrival.

The father in the parable of the Prodigal Son received just such a welcome. In that allegorical tale, Jesus described the welcome a sinner would receive when He turns from His sin and toward God. But he isn’t just welcomed — he’s celebrated.

“‘Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.” (Luke 15:23-24)

When we eventually arrive in our eternal home, I bet God will celebrate us, too. For we’ve picked Him instead of sin. We’ve decided to embrace Jesus and what He gave for us. We’ve chosen to celebrate Him.
If you, like me, long for your eternal home, don’t ever lose hope. For God has prepared you a home. An eternal home…one for which He’s provided daily reminders. And when you finally walk through its gates, He will be on the other side, waiting to celebrate you home.

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenny_Loggins_and_the_Boston_Pops_2011.jpg