I go to prepare a place for you to rest. John 14:2 (TPT)

My Heart – The Home Series – Part 7

Go to  PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |  PART 6  |  PART 7

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Back in Part One of this series, I said:

“God comes no matter what our lives look like. He parks in the driveway, walks up the path, knocks on the door and waits for us to answer. He doesn’t come in spite of what our interiors look like, but because of them. He includes the brokenness and the mess, just as he does the clean and well-presented bits. He doesn’t need a spotless house to live in, just an open one. He doesn’t mind if your lounge cost $100 or $5000, he just wants to sit.”

There're a few words that swim around in my heart when I think of home:

Vulnerability
Courage
Trust
Faith
Hope
Grace
Forgiveness
Love
Mess
Redemption

None of these words are easy. Lovely to say, yes (mostly). But easy? No. And that's what makes it beautiful…

Vulnerability is the word that most encapsulates how I feel about home. In my home, and with my people, and while I'm doing what I love (whoever any of those may be), I can be vulnerable with my heart, life, fears, dreams, worries, hopes… all of it. And it's not all pretty. It’s not all well behaved and designer furniture. It's not all confidence and certainty. It's not all great decisions and wisdom… (not ALL… I said, there is some. I hope). With vulnerability comes great risk.

I was speaking with a friend this week who isn’t sure if their relationship is working. They’ve been together for a few years, but he’s not certain that she loves him, and fears that their relationship is going nowhere, or will eventually end. His question to us was, “How do I know? How do I know that it will work?”

To which I responded with shrugged shoulders, raised eyebrows and crickets.

You can never know.

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” Brené Brown.

Luke wrote that Jesus said, “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21). Matthew wrote that Jesus said we should “Seek first God’s Kingdom.” (Matt 6:33). The Kingdom is here, but we still seek it out.

Home is similar. We are at home. But we are still seeking and longing for it. Figuring it out bit-by-bit, step-by-step. Learning to trust by having it fulfilled and broken. Learning faith by facing adversity, and learning love, real love, by being broken.

As I was cuddling my four-year-old daughter to sleep a few nights ago, she said, “I have to be careful mummy, or my heart will get broken.” (SHE’S FOUR!!) I guess for me, that's what home is for. A place where your heart can be broken and mended. And the journey in between is more than welcome.

Our prayer for you is that you learn to love your “home,” your life and all that fills it. Speak tenderly to it, and be kind to those who fill it. And know, deep down in your bones that your life, your home, just as it is, is precious and holy. Keep on living in and searching out the mystery of it.

“Our stories are all stories of searching. We search for a good self to be and for good work to do. We search to become human in a world that tempts us always to be less than human or looks to us to be more. We search to love and to be loved. And in a world where it is often hard to believe in much of anything, we search to believe in something holy and beautiful and life-transcending that will give meaning and purpose to the lives we live.” Frederick Buechner, The Longing For Home.

Your turn. Leave us a comment below.

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