But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:20-21

We belong in heaven, not in the sense that we should be there, but that our home is already defined. We already belong and have a home where we are free, without having to further work for that. You don’t have to work for the citizenship; it’s given to you. There is no need for striving and evidence: you are a citizen of heaven.

However in the meantime, the other truth is that we are living on earth. If earth were not important and real, God would not have become human to walk amongst us. Our time on earth is that much more precious and beautiful. Jesus had 33 years on earth and he did not waste a moment. He didn’t take his time here for granted because he was living on purpose and from promise.

The pitfall of having citizenship in heaven is to neglect our time on earth. God has bestowed our truest identity and given us a sense of home so that when we are on earth, we can live out of that worth and not for worth. Nothing on earth will give us new worth; it’s been given, fully. If we can accept our fullness and beauty, how would we spend our time on earth differently? Look to Jesus — he didn’t hoard physical things and he respected the earth. How would we build relationships? Look to Jesus — he had strong intimate connections yet didn’t attach unhealthily and knew when we let go. How can we exemplify in the present our heavenly citizenship?