December 4, 2011
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What my home is missing....
I listened to Francis Chan on Focus on the Family last week (John has come to know that when I hear a fresh teaching from Francis Chan it normally means my brain goes into overload). He was saying that he and his wife had a spare room in their home. One day he was praying and asking God, "What do you want with this room?"
He heard of a single mom with three kids, and one on the way, at their local mission needing housing. He called his wife, told her and she said, "My friend and I were just praying about what we should do with that room. This must be it."
So he went home, picked up his wife, and went to the mission to invite this woman and three children to come live with them.
My heart paused, "Would I do that?"
Would I really be willing to let a complete stranger and three kids move into my home if I had an extra room. If God called us to open our home and if John and I were so united on that, would we do it?
Honestly, I don't know?
I like my comfort. I like my space. I like ministry that isn't too messy.
Wow...how selfish of me!
Jesus was super comfortable in heaven. Creation was His space and oh dear are we a mess!
But He took on the form of a human, stepped out of heaven in the way of a helpless baby, to save ME and I want my space. I want my comfort. I want my home to be my home?
As I talked this over with John I mentioned a couple and said, "I wish we could let them move in for a month. I wish we had space for them to come live with us and not stress about rent for one month. I wish our basement was nice to house someone for a few weeks."
I want to be radical in my faith. If we were going to open up our room in the basement it would mean getting rid of a large collection of stuff...stuff we hardly look at and don't need. It's scary even writing this because I know God is knocking on my heart. He's wanting all of me, all of us, all of our house, all of our stuff! When I look back on my life in heaven, my comfort and stuff will seem so silly and meaningless.
God is knocking on my heart is other areas...areas I am still processing and seeking Him. I don't want to be radical just for the sake of being radical...I want to obey for the glory of the gospel!
So what is my home missing? Extra room...no..a person willing to be radically obedient
Lord show us what You want with our house! It's yours!
Comments (4)
Ouch. Convicting..You are so right.
Hmmm...would I be willing to open up my home to another person or family? It would be hard. And why? Because I think of myself first. =/
One of my friends is a missionary in Africa..she said we have no idea how much privacy we have here in America.
She didn't realize this until she moved over there and out of her comfort zone.
Have you seen God Grew Tired of Us? If you have netflix it's an instant watch.
It was really good. Gave me (once again!) the perspective I needed to see. How materialistic of a society we are...Me included!!!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. =)
This is something my parents have always lived before us kids. When I was tiny we always had fresh air children. Growing up... I shared my room with a pre teen community girl who said she worshiped Satan. I also shared my room with a single pregnant girl... who needed a place to go because her boyfriend was living in his car and she didn't have family. Those were uncomfortable times. Then there were children who's parents didn't want them around much, so in them summer they would just live with us.
Since I got married and left home two other girls have moved in. They've been there for years now. They call my parents mom and dad and they call me their sister. Opening up your home to troubled teenagers isn't easy, and it's certainly messy, but it has really shaped us kids into what we are. You just never have a clue what random person will be at my parents house when we go there. Yesterday my mom had the family over for my birthday party. In addition to our huge family there was a neighbor boy who had spent the night, who had gone to church and was still there, my "adopted" sisters's cousin who is single with two small children was there... It's like this big huge, loud, fun party with such different people. But there is SO much LOVE in my parents home. People are drawn to that.
At this point in our two bedroom home and NO money to fix up our basement, I don't think God is calling us to take someone in, but I love reaching out to the people that are living at my parents house, or people that are just THERE at different times. I love how it stretched me as kid, and made me think about someone other than myself.
@WasabiBek - Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing!!!
My parents house was *and is* always open to all sorts of people. Makes for some interesting "childhood" stories from growing up. We've had families, immigrants, illegals, bums, homeless, parolee's, people from rehab- people that NEEDED rehab and a lot of others that have stayed a night, a week and sometimes several months with us.
Currently, my parents have a family of six whose house burnt down last week staying with them- a paralyzed man with no immediate family and an ex-convict whose given his life to the Lord all living under their roof.
I have mixed feelings about an "open door" policy when you have children in the home....we were always protected by God's Grace and my parents very watchful eyes....but you don't want some things being exposed, discussed or enacted in front of your children....you must be very, very guarded- God has given you your family to raise and that should always be first priority (within Godly boundaries!).
I don't ever regret the way we were raised...in fact, when my Dad went full time in the ministry- we moved (all six of us!) into a 40 foot travel trailer....and guess what??? WE STILL HAD SOMEONE THAT MOVED IN AND STAYED WITH US!!!! *LOL*
I think some people are just cut out and meant to be that way.