Where Home Really Is

I don’t get over to my mom and dad’s house enough. I can get so caught up in my work that it’s easy for times away from work to be spent resting. However, I’m really missing out on the connection with them and the rest therein when I can be with them. That’s not to say I don’t see them or talk to them. But that’s not quite the same as going home.

When I’m at their house, sitting on the couch, it’s a different kind of feel. It’s a slower pace, and a time to catch up. It’s the warmth of laughter and the offer of a cup of coffee. It’s hearing about the latest news from my parents’ work life, or the newest stray cat that’s been wandering around. It’s helping Dad move something since I happen to be there, or grabbing a little treat Mom got me. Being home, even if for a short time, is all of those special things. But not really because of the location. It’s nice to see the old pictures and the rooms of childhood. But it’s really because Mom and Dad are there, and when Sheila comes along too, or my brother and his family happen to be by, it’s all the more “home.” They say home is where the heart is, but I’d say it’s where the people are who occupy our hearts.

You know, in order for me to experience that, I have to go to a place where those people are, so I can see them and talk to them. But we have a God who provides us a sense of home, and that can happen wherever we might be. John 14:23 tells us this, ²³ Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ You see, if we know Jesus as our savior today, the Spirit of God has entered us to dwell within us. This means that no matter where we are, he brings to us all those same gifts I mentioned about my parents’ house – warmth, compassion, love, and support. He can do that anywhere, at any time, in any circumstances.

As a pastor, I have the privilege to meet many people in the most tender places of suffering, loss, and heartache. Sometimes I see them dealing with that, and they are still at peace. Other times, they may testify to their faith, but they remain in a place of worry, trouble, and sadness. That’s not to say those feelings won’t come for all of us. But we have a father who has taken up residence in us, to hold us and keep us. All we must do is ask him, and he will bring us the comfort we seek. All I have to do is walk to my parents’ door, no matter what I’m facing, and it is open to me.

For those of us who might find ourselves in a place of suffering, we must ask God to meet us. It could be a chronic illness, or depression over a failing marriage, or some other calamity. Ask your father to give you a sense of home that he mentions in John 14, and he will.

You are valued here at Starnes Cove. I pray for each of you every day as a matter of discipline in my own faith, and I pray with you as you bring your needs. Those prayers are so often that the father will meet you and meet you through us as well. So come join us!

In Christ,

William