“ My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest.” Isaiah 32:18
Home. I love the sound of that word. Thoughts of home make me think there is nothing quite like going there. Wherever that might be!
Over the years I have lived in a few places that I have called home. Not nearly as many as some people have had, though, I know that. Compared to most, I haven’t ventured too far from one stopping place to another. Both my husband, Dan, and I were raised in one place, married, and moved only once again to where we have been for almost fifty years. So our snapshots of “home” are pretty easy to picture in our memories. Our homes have never been fancy, but the words comfortable and relaxed come to my mind.
I am not a perfectionist. Our home is pretty lived in, and a restful atmosphere is what I long for when I enter. A safe haven or safe escape from the cold or heat outside, and even more than that, a place that shields us from the busyness and harshness of the outside world. Home. A place where we can be still.. and find rest and peace.
When I was younger and would see beautiful furniture and immaculate homes in magazines or on TV, I thought that would be a wonderful place to call home. But now I know that a “model” home is not what brings us inner joy and outside happiness. It is contentment. Being thankful for a place to walk in, drop whatever is weighing you down, and relax and unwind.
My husband just painted our basement stairs and walls going “down”, and it looks so much brighter and cheery. However, what should be most important to us is that we have our homes “decorated” with the colors of inspiration….like joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. That way our homes can be hospitable and warm and inviting…not only to us, but to others when they enter. Welcoming to friends. Bringing pleasure to our children. Delight to our grandchildren. Oh, how we want them to come “home” whenever they can!
My grandson came to see me the other day and said, “ This place just smells like you, grandma”. As I thought about that, I realized there were smells that I remembered from my childhood too. My grandmother’s house in Worthington was one of those. I liked the smell of her talcum powder in her bathroom. And the way the house smelled when I opened that back door and climbed the few steps up into her colorful, red and white kitchen. That house was actually my temporary home for a couple years while I attended Worthington Junior College.
Or growing up in the little town of Bigelow and walking home after school to mom’s freshly made chocolate chip cookies. My brothers, sister, and I enjoyed laughter, kidding around, and cold glasses of milk with those cookies around that little oval kitchen table. I can still smell the hot, buttery toast and hot chocolate that my own kids gulped down after those chilly walks up the farm lane. Those bus rides made them hungry, and hearing their chatty voices coming in the back door of “home” always gave me a good feeling. Somehow, when the family “nest” is full again, it is a comforting feeling.
It is important that we think about our “home”. We may not have built it, but it is us who brings life to it, and sustains the atmosphere that resides inside it. In the Old Testament book of Haggai, God reminds his people to “Give careful thought to your ways”. It is the time when they are to rebuild the temple that lies in ruins, while they are hurrying to build their own houses. “Careful thought”. God repeats this phrase three times in this book. Haggai tells them to put the Lord first so that, He, in turn, can bless them with a harvest of fruitfulness. He tells them that He wants to take pleasure in the dwelling and be honored in it.
In Matthew 7:24, Jesus admonishes us to hear His words and put them into practice. He says it is like a “wise man who builds his house on the rock”. Interesting to compare the condition of our home to solid rock…or shifting sand. The foundation is important, isn’t it. In addition, we need to be intentional and determined about the character of our home with all of the distractions, decisions, and temptations that confront us. The outside of our home can be beautiful and attractive, but if the inside tone and mood is angry and dark, those who live there or enter in will not experience peace.
Of course, we are humans that are inhabiting these homes. When trouble arises within, and it will, we need to be sure we have the words of forgiveness and acceptance to extend to those we love and share our homes with. That is the only way we can assure our homes to be the safe, quiet and restful place that Isaiah talked about.
As we look forward to our final home, Jesus gives us comfort as He did to his disciples. “ Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you will also be where I am.” John 14: 1-3 Wow! The home that is beyond all homes. Heaven. No dusting or washing dishes or tears! It just has to be a wonderful place.
Whether you live with several or all alone, may God bless your home today! And remember, when we build our “homes” for Him, He will someday come back and return the favor.
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