Our house is just a shelter, but my home is who I share it with
I want to share something that has just been heavy on my heart lately to share. Obviously I love our new house and find a lot of joy in buying and creating things to fill that house (I have a blog and Instagram account dedicated to that alone). I was tagged on Instagram recently to share my favorite thing about my house which made me stop and think, I love lots of things, I love the kitchen, I love the fireplace, I love the 4 car garage, I love that we built it and dreamed of how we would use each room and prayed in each room that the Lord would use each room to glorify him, but most of all… I love who I share it with. Our house is just a shelter, a shelter that we have dreamed about, but my home is who I share it with. It’s just like how the bible talks about the church as the congregation, not the structural building. At the end of the day, my favorite thing about my house is my husband and two fur-babies.
(Photo by Jessica McCravy Studios)
I was driving to my mom’s on Saturday and saw lots of smoke, I figured it was just someone burning tree limbs or something but the closer and closer I got to her house, the closer the smoke got. I started to panic. When I got to her neighborhood, this is what I saw two streets over from my mom’s house.
(This picture was taken while standing in my Mom’s backyard)
I have seen fires in movies and on TV but never a fire like this is person. This fire was LARGE and aggressive and the fire hoses weren’t doing anything to contain it until it was too late. The second story was completely gone in a matter of 15-20 minutes. My heart was broken for this family whom I don’t know but all I could think about was that I hope and pray they were all safe. It really made me stop and think that it could all be taken from me in an instant, they lost EVERYTHING in that house in about an hour…it only took ONE HOUR. We spend years and years filling homes and all it took was an hour. It turns out the family was out of town and had their pets with them, THANK YOU JESUS!! As much as we love and invest in our houses, they are earthly things and they can all be taken away from us and can be replaced, and what really matters is that they were all safe.
We sang the song “Let it be Jesus” at church on Sunday and in it it says, “ Should I ever be surrounded by the fire and the flame, There’s a name I will remember, There’s a name I will proclaim, Let it be, Let it be Jesus.”
The fire and the flame can be a metaphor for a lot of situations but in this case, it struck me very literally. I am writing this blog as a reminder for myself because witnessing this fire was a huge eye opener, but I am also hoping that this might encourage just one other person who may be in a similar place that I am. This is for any of you that feels like their house isn’t good enough, or may have lost their home, or maybe puts all their time and resources into their home and finds yourself neglecting other important things, I hope you find this encouraging. Unfortunately tornados happen, fires happen, bankruptcy happens, so make sure to first of all invest in your marriages and families because that’s what makes a home, not a fancy house full of furniture and decorations. I am guilty of putting more time and effort into our house at times than into my marriage, and I have to consciously make an effort to keep my priorities in line.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.