There’s a word for what happened to Napoleon: exile. Someone in exile isn’t allowed to go home to his or her own country. Usually, people are exiled as punishment or because staying in their own countries would cause political trouble. Napoleon was exiled more than 200 years ago. But life on St. Helena can still feel kind of like exile. The island is about 10 miles long and five miles wide. Africa is 1,200 miles away. South America is 1,800 miles away. To a newcomer, it probably won’t feel much like home. Saints—the local residents—have to get used to driving on the steep and twisty island. Because food has to be shipped in, they have to learn to search hard—or wait—for specific ingredients. They have to adjust to paying high prices for slow internet access. Even something simple like finding a cell phone signal isn’t easy on St. Helena.

Are you an exile? The Bible says people who live by faith in Jesus are “strangers and exiles on the Earth.” (Hebrews 11:13) If you’re a Christian, the world is not your home. The world is full of darkness because of sin. But God has transferred His people out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His son (Colossians 1:13). People who live in Jesus’s kingdom don’t act or think like people who live in the darkness of sin. They don’t want to displease God or live for themselves like others in the world do. In many ways, they just don’t fit in!

But here’s some good news. God has prepared a wonderful new home for His people. They will live with Him. They will be like Him too—totally without sin and the terrible consequences it brings. Just think about how beautiful God made this world. Bring to mind your very favorite sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. Those are just a small hint of how good it will be to live with God forever. Now that’s something to look forward to!

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city. ― Hebrews 11:16