“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:2-3 NLT
I got up this morning, poured my cup of coffee, and sat down in my chair at the window to watch the activity taking place at the bird feeders. This is my routine pretty much every morning I’m home, however, this morning was a little more exciting (in the bird world, at least) because the Wrens are back and building a nest in the bird house. It’s an amazing thing to watch as the tiny bird approaches the small opening in the bird house with a GIANT stick, often three times their size and yet, it still manages to maneuver it through. All the while the other half of the couple is chattering anxiously and excitedly flitting here and there. It’s hard work creating a home one stick at a time!
Home……it’s what’s been on my mind lately. I recently traveled to help my mom prepare to move into a new home. It’s a lovely condo with lots of light and storage. But even though it’s a positive move it has still caused her feelings of doubt, anxiety, and heartache. At the same time, she’s experiencing excitement about redecorating, the joy of having friends close by, and a peace knowing she’s found the right place
In a few weeks my daughter, who I can still picture smiling up at me with a toothless grin and a head full of curls, is about to have a baby of her own. She and her husband will be navigating their way to recreate their home as a family of three instead of two. Doubt? Anxiety? You know it! And as a parent I know that there’ll be some heartache too, but right there mixed in are great excitement and abundant joy! (I can hardly wait!)
Add into the mix, my son, who is about to be married and join two lives into one home. Again, its a time of mixed emotions. There are so many questions to be answered, plans to be made, and priorities to set. If ever there’s a time with a myriad of feelings, it’s planning a wedding, but the promise of this new love brings such delight!
My home was built over one hundred years ago and has seen better days. Now common sense would tell you that we have enough going on in our lives right now, but I’m not always sensible, SO….my husband and I have been looking into making a change in our home too. We’ve given consideration to building a new house, one board at a time….. TOO STRESSFUL! Tearing down our family home and putting in a modular has been an option….. this caused me some heartache, though. Remodeling where we’ve called home for many years is still being considered. All three options are exciting and all three have also caused my husband and me a great deal of anxiety!
Home…..some of its definitions are: shelter, a dwelling place or retreat, any place of residence or refuge, a place in which one’s domestic affections are centered. These are all so true but for me there’s something more about home which cannot be defined. It is that gravitational-like pull that draws me back. It is memories of times past and hope for times to come. It is love.
Yes, every emotion on the spectrum is experienced in a home…some good, some not. It is where we teach and learn about life. It isn’t perfect but it’s where we begin and where we end. And in the midst of it all we have the promise that a Heavenly home awaits us. A place where there will be no more heartache or anxiety, only excitement and joy as we have never known before! They say “Home is where the heart is”. I have definitely put my whole heart into creating a home for my family and more importantly into building in us, one prayer at a time, hearts of faith, so that on some sweet day we will all finally be home together, forever.
