“He puts a little heaven in our hearts so that we won’t settle for less.”
(2 Corinthians 5:5 MSG)
Homesickness is something we all feel from time to time, at least a little bit. If you could have a conversation with every person, one where they were completely honest, I bet they’d admit to at least a low-level of nostalgia; a longing for a place they’ve never been and a belonging not yet realized.
Today I am reminded that home is not a place, but a people. My heart is chock-full because yesterday my people got together under one roof and I remembered that home happens when my family comes together.
The blue bungalow will close in the coming week and the place that’s been home will belong to some other family. We are still between places but it’s okay because family fills in any gaps left in location. All my babies under one roof is all I need to feel like we have a home.
I wish I could call my momma and let her know I finally get it. I understand how her heart ached when her children scattered around the country and how she longed to gather them back to her. I finally comprehend her complete joy when we made long car trips and brought the feeling of home back to her again.
And then I think about heaven and how all God’s children will gather under the celestial roof for a family meal and a group hug and we’ll never ever let go of one another again.
I get it. Home is a people not a place. We get glimpses of it here, little tastes of what together truly means, but ultimately there is one Home we are all aching for. Every divine effort on earth is about laying out the welcome mat and inviting every soul we encounter. Imagine the Father’s joy when His sons and daughters gather around the family table to celebrate fully coming together forever. Yep, home is people more than a place.
“Trust Me. There is plenty of room in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on My way to get a room ready for You? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’l come back and get you so you can live where I live.” (John 14:2-3 MSG)
Lord, we long for Home. We are awakening to the truth that it is not a brick and mortar building, but a place of fellowship with You and others. Help us hold this truth in our hearts as we sojourn here, making our way toward You. Give us an invitational mindset; may we include the fellow travelers we find along the way. May we love people more than places and set our hearts on our forever family. Amen.