Kennel Hotel

Growing Daily

Kennel Hotel

On a recent vacation, my husband and I booked a hotel to break up our drive home. The website promised a serene setting, but when we arrived there was a dog show in progress. Dogs were everywhere—the grounds, the elevators, even the restaurants. We heard dogs barking, panting, and padding along the halls all night long. 

Now don’t get me wrong. We like dogs. But that hotel was not built to house dogs—and certainly not that many dogs. The hallways began to smell doggy. The outdoor trash cans overflowed with bagged evidence of potty trips. It felt like we were staying in a kennel, not a hotel. We couldn’t wait to get home.

In a deeper sense, most believers can relate to that feeling: I just want to go home.

Our hearts long for rest, but we find ourselves in a world no longer operating the way it was created to operate. And we see the effects everywhere—decay, disease, sorrow, our own sinful inclinations. We feel like "temporary residents and foreigners," longing for home (1 Peter 2:11; 2 Corinthians 5:8).

Praise God, that longing is not misplaced. Our present unrest points us toward the promise that He will restore the world He intended (Romans 8:19-23).

So, today, when you see something that is not right, don’t be discouraged. Instead, let it strengthen your hope in the One who will someday make all things right.

“Look, I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5.


- Catherine Reid