Tag: Home
We pretty much had free reign of the entire town, as long as we were home when the whistle blew.
We look at Jochebed and remember that the faith required for mothering never lessons, it only enlarges as our kids take stronger and stronger flight from the proverbial nest. We trust God for our children over and over again until we all arrive safe at Home.
As we age, our tents start to show signs of depreciation. But old age and even death is not the end of our story: one day soon, we’ll trade in these canvas coverings for eternal dwellings: homes of brick and mortar.
I think about Ruth’s roots in Moab and I remember that we, too, are sojourners. Each and every believer on earth is just passing through on our way to a far better place. We have a Home just over the horizon, a whole new life awaiting us in a land we haven’t yet set foot in.
As cosy as our home is, comfort will not cause us to grow. And the Great Commission will not be fulfilled while we are in our jammies. ‘Go’ is a vital part of the instruction. And truly, isolation leads to spiritual deconstruction: we’ve made the enemy’s efforts so much easier when we refuse to leave the house.
Spiritual maturity looks far different from physical maturity. It’s hands outstretched to receive prison guard or pauper attire. Feet set to follow a path to a place undesired. Spiritual maturity means saying ‘yes’ even when we are wholly unsure about the outcome or dreading the next temporary destination. The relationship with our God always trumps the unpleasantness of our circumstances. We trust our Father to take us Home and we will endure whatever might bring Him glory between here and there.
Unforgiveness embitters. It’s been compared to a poison we drink in hope of destroying others. It does, in fact, destroy others, just not the others we had in mind. Unforgiveness infiltrates our family first. It is blight in the branches of our family tree.
The thing about living in a land with winter is that you really get an appreciation for coming in from the cold. There is nothing snugger then being out in the blustery snow and ice one moment and then in the next being welcomed into a cozy home with warm radiators and steaming cups of coffee or cocoa. In the winter we step inside our friend’s cocoon of warmth, shed our boots and coats by the door and are immediately enveloped in the warmth and love of relationship.
If faith is a fire, we all go through seasons when the flames sputter and the embers begin to dim. A scripture like this one in Proverbs serves as a starter log in our dying fire.