It is told as a true story. Frank C. Morrison and his wife were returning home after 40 years as missionaries in Africa. They were on the same boat with President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a hunting trip in Africa. When they docked in New York there was a crowd on hand to welcome the President home. The president and his entourage were inundated with cheers, music, flag waving, and picture taking.

Afterwards when the Morrisons disembarked there was no one to meet them. Frank, chastened by the contrast and feeling a bit sorry for himself, complained to his wife that after all the sacrifice of 40 years as missionaries to the Dark Continent there was no one to meet them and no celebration, while Roosevelt was in Africa but a few weeks and on a hunting trip, and he was welcomed with great fanfare.

Frank’s wife thought maybe he needed to pray. While he was praying the Lord said to him, "Frank, you’re not home yet!"

It is a soul-stirring story for believers, for it is easy for us to take our eyes off heaven and become enamoured by this world and its seductive attractions, particularly the plaudits of men. We came into this world completely selfish, demanding all the attention possible, and we never completely overcome that innate narcissism. Our carnal nature seeks out whatever nurtures our feelings of self-importance. Nothing does this like the praise of others. It is our selfish pride that fishes for compliments. Courting the approval of the crowd has been the undoing of many who might otherwise have learned to "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God."

The apostle John answers a question we all sometime ask, why some believe and obey Christ while others do not. He tells how certain Jewish rulers believed on Christ, but they would not confess him for fear of the Pharisees, "lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43). The praise of men has an intoxicating influence, so addictive as to rob us of heaven itself.

One philosopher claims that the love for adulation is so pervasive in human nature that when one appears to disclaim it he is only showing his desire to be praised all the more. Seneca insisted that you can determine the true character of a person by the way he responds to praise. But Edward Young may have said it best: "The love of praise, how’er concealed by art, reigns more or less, and glows in every heart ."

This is not to say that there is no place for praise, even for enjoying praise. It is always appropriate that we praise God – "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." It is even said that God is "enthroned in the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3). Jesus indicates that God will in turn praise his faithful children in such terms as, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Lk. 19:17). Paul says that those who seek "glory, honor, and immortality" from God will be rewarded with eternal life (Rom. 2:7).

All this shows that it is appropriate , if not essential, for us to desire and seek praise. The source of the praise is what matters – from men or from God? It may be all right for us to enjoy and appreciate the praise and commendation of people, but we are not to seek it. But it is appropriate for us to seek God’s adulation. The Bible gives only modest approval to human praise, such as "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth" (Pro. 27:2). The moral philosopher Emmanuel Kant said it well: "It is far better that one deserves to be praised than that he is praised." It is a work of love that we pass along kudos and warm fuzzies to others , especially to our loved ones, and always with sincerity. It is the good and wise man who finds complimentary things to say to his wife and children, and often. But he shouldn’t need them – or seek them --for himself. And when he is praised – or when he is criticized -- he will accept it graciously, but he will not be influenced too much by either. I think this is what Kipling had in mind when he included in his poem IF:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster,

And treat these two imposters just the same.

But the praise of God is always authentic and always to be desired, especially when compared to the praise of men. Our Lord warns us that "In this world you will have tribulation" (Jn. 16:33). Tribulation may come in the form of rejection or injustice. We may find life unfair and cruel, and sometimes even unbearable. Inexplicable tragedy may overwhelm us. That is when we are to remember what God said to the missionary, We’re not home yet.

This is what our hope is about. This world is not our home. When we leave this world we are not leaving home but going home. In this world we are not to expect a life free of trouble, as if it were our resting place. In this world we are not to expect to hear the angels singing. In this world there will be sunamis and hurricanes, and unimaginable suffering. But we’re not home yet.

In God’s tomorrow when in his mercy the Lord says, "Well done, good and faithful servant" – or even "Well tried" – that will be our glory. And we will know that we are home.