Is Your House a Home?

Life makes all the difference.

On some of my hikes in the woods, I have found old houses and log cabins in total ruin. It’s sad to see the collapsed roofs and these structures surrounded by thorns and briar bushes. They are uninhabitable. It would be risky if I were to try and enter these spaces.

Yet, with a sense of sadness, my vivid imagination can see children running in the yard, a father working the field, a mother cooking a stew, and maybe even elderly grandparents sitting on the front porch. I may also see fruit trees or daffodils planted in the yard. I know that once, this was a home of love, sorrow, and laughter. This place was once full of life.

Hosea was a prophet who warned the Jewish people that ruination would come if they did not turn back to God.

This lesson is still pertinent to us today. Christ gave up His life so that we could have life, but sometimes, we neglect Him. We might quit reading our Bibles, praying, and practicing Christlike attributes. It doesn’t take long for a spiritual decline to occur.

Our home begins to deteriorate as we find ourselves pushing Jesus further and further from the main living area into our broom closet. Soon we start slipping back into our sinful ways. The cockroaches, carpenter ants, and various other critters called sin, take up residency. Our witness for Christ no longer shines brightly as it once did. The dust of immorality begins to cover our light. Thorns and briars cause our once soft hearts to grow hard. It’s difficult for others to recognize life in us when our true life is shrouded.

But then we remember that Jesus has not left us. He is still calling us. With our tails between our legs, we release Him to do His work. He drives out all our demons and says,

Jesus reminds us of His love for us but tells us that we must stay connected to His wellspring of life. The process of being dusted, swept, scrubbed, and repaired is not always pleasant, but with Him as our power source, our house becomes a home.

Are you connected and active in your life with Christ? Is there life in your home, or is it collecting cobwebs, briars, and thorns? Do people have to imagine the spiritual life that once was when looking at you? If you find yourself alone, controlled by something other than Christ, bitter, or loved-depleted, maybe it’s time to open your closet. Give Christ full access. Let His love shine through your windows to the world.

Forgive me, Lord, for trying to push you out of my house. Would you please remind me that my heart houses the King of Kings? Help me to make it not just a dwelling place but your home. Amen.

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