Day 13: Home is Where The Heart Is

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Head:  I have a little sign in our house that says "With You I Am Home".  I bought it soon after we sold our house and moved into our camper while we began building our next house. (You can read more about that journey here)  It served as a reminder to myself and my husband that even if it doesn't feel like "home" yet, as long as we are together, we are home.  Making such a big move for our 5 kids was not without consideration of how they felt.  We did our best to stay aware of how they were feeling during this transitional time of our lives.  Our boys were living in a tiny bunk house, my husband and I with our baby girl were in a camper.and while we were very close and clinging to each other during this time, we were still not sleeping under the same roof.  Home just wasn't home like we had known it to be.   The littlest ones adapted easily.  The Bigs, well, they took longer to adapt.  Actually, it wasn't until we all moved into the house together that my middle son said he appreciated that we were all under one roof again...except my oldest...

Our oldest son stayed in the bunk house, it was like a little apartment for him.  Just last week, he made the decision that he wanted to be with us too.  Our new "home" wasn't feeling like home to him even after all the time that had passed.  My hearts desire is for all my children to know this is home, not because it's a house we all live in, but because we are together.

Heart: To abide, it means to stay close to without objection, to sojourn, to remain and continue to stay.  Much like my desire for my own children to "abide" here in our home. I was reading over some scriptures on this topic and I want to share them with you before I move forward. 

You shall seek Me and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13

Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.  For without Me you can do nothing.  If  a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers.  And they gather them and throw them into the first, and they are burned.  If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you  will ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.  As the Father loved Me, I also loved you.  remain in My love.  -John 15:4-9

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now life in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  -Galatians 2:20

What an absolute privilege it is to be the branches of Jesus.  That was what struck me when studying on these verses.  We have the opportunity to reach out into the world, showing off the Lord's glory and reaching towards the heavens in all our glory.  Just like the branches do.  When we look at the trees and the things that grow, we know that their goal is to grow as tall and as far reaching as they can.  We should do the same.  As parents, it is our responsibility to grow to reach our full potential.

The fruit we produce, with the help of Christ, is meant to flourish.

​I'm sure you will agree with me, one of my heart's desires is that my children will always know they can come "home" to my husband and I.  As parents, we want to be there for our children when the need us.  We want to be that place of rest, encouragement, and love they can come back to after  they have moved on in life.  It's not the house that we want them to come home to, it is us.  Jesus has the same desire for us, that we abide in Him.  He will always be there for us to give us everything we need if we will turn to Him always.

​Hands:  If you want to feel like Jesus is home to you, that you live in Him.  You must abide in Him.  If you will abide in the Lord, you will grow in fruitfulness.  Seek the Lord's face continuously, seek His thoughts and He will feel your heart, mind, and soul with His perspective about your life.  He is the vine and you are the branch that depends on Him for nourishment.  We can do nothing, we can produce no fruit without Him and we stay in His presence to do so.  Christ lives in us and us in Him and so we do not need our own strength.  

​We can be so very thankful that we can parent our children in His strength and not our own.  

If Home is Where The Heart Is, I want my home and heart to be in Christ.