Longing for Home

On Sunday, we opened the front door of our new home for the first time.  We had been there on a number of occasions as we were in the process of deciding to purchase the house.  Yet, as we eased the key into the lock and turned the latch, this time it was as home owners rather than guests.

As we walked through the increasingly familiar floor plan, the dog hair and dust and grime glared at us from where it sat.  It was the first time we had seen our home without any furniture in it.  In it, we saw the possibilities of what could be.  It was also a moment of realizing the work that would need to be done to make it home. 

Home is waiting on the other side of grime.  Home is waiting.  It is ready to be made.  It is ready to be settled into.  We are longing for home.  We are on the journey.

It is rather appropriate. 

As we begin the yearly “journey” with our family at Crossroads.  We are all taking “A Journey Home.”

When we stepped into our house, it was after exploring the idea of baggage.  We are all spiritual orphans who believe certain things about ourselves, others and God.  Many of these traits leave us hiding.  We hide behind anger or try to justify or explain away mistakes we make.  We see the world with eyes of scarcity and negativity rather than a lens of God’s goodness.  We measure our contentment based on how successful we are, often comparing ourselves to others.  We operate out of fear.  And we often feel lonely, because we have a hard time sharing who we really are with others, afraid of how they will feel about us.

Our pastor talked about these common places of the human experience.  He said that common struggles are indicators of a spiritual reality.  We long for belonging.  We want a place where we can be who we really are.  We are looking for home.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”  John 1:12-13 TNIV

There is a home that we have been made for, it belongs to God.  There is a family in which we will all find we belong.  We have a Daddy that is waiting for us.  We may need to pause to consider what it is we hold in our hands.  What baggage are we carrying?  We may find that we need to let go of some of it, discarding it, so that we might embrace who we have been created to be.

So, as Jason and I journey home, I will be sharing with you some of the things we’re learning along the way as the physical and the spiritual meet up for us in the midst of this journey.  We hope that you will find yourself making the journey with us toward home.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we bravely consider the things we deeply believe about ourselves.  As we consider this, may we encounter what it is that God believes about us, what He calls us toward.  May we trust in His judgment as truer than our own.  May we take steps toward calling Him Daddy.  May we be courageous enough to journey home.

Jessica :)

P.S.  The photo was obtained off one of the realtor sites awhile back.  It was in the public domain.