Monday, August 29
Home. Such meaning in that word. So many meanings. I've been thinking a lot today about families displaced - homes lost - lives changed. I've been praying for strangers and friends, thinking about home.I love our old, little house. Messy. With scratches in the paint and weak spots in the floor, and one tiny bathroom for all of us. But it's perfect. And we are so very grateful to have a roof over our heads and an a/c that works and the security that comes from those things.
But for me, home isn't entirely about a structure or a place. It's about a feeling of warmth and security and contentment. It's the knowledge that I can be who I am without any fear of criticism. And that is a valuable thing, indeed.
In my mind's spirituality, our God accepts us as we are. He reaches out to us - I heard a minister on the radio say that most religions are about man reaching upward to God but that Christianity is about God reaching down to man - exactly where we are. Christ redeemed us through His blood, and we are each God's creations. I am well aware, of course, that we ought to be reaching upward to seek the hand of God, that we should be growing in Him all the time. But I am refreshed by the thought that our God loves us at this moment exactly as we are. And I am reassured by the idea that God not only knows each of our needs at this moment, but He also knows how those needs will be met - often when we cannot imagine the outcome.
So, this evening, I am asking God to give these many, many people - who are displaced and anxious and frightened - comfort. I ask that He provide them with a feeling of home even in the midst of this possible homelessness. And I ask that God show us how we can be the hands of His work, how we can minister to those in our state who are in need.
[ posted by Chel on Monday, August 29, 2005 ]
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