In assigning my students their final 1000-to-1200-word essay of the semester (or at least the final essay BEFORE the Final Exam), I asked them to write a personal essay to answer these two guiding questions:

Q1—What does HOME mean to me?

Q2—Why would anyone want to journey with me to my HOME?

HOME—It is a place we enjoy.

HOME—It is a place we can go when we are hurting and sad.

HOME—It is a place we can go when we need hugs without judgment.

HOME—It is a place we can kick off our shoes, prop up our feet on the couch, and relax.

HOME—It is a place of rest.

If you have not yet noticed, today let’s focus upon the word—HOME, and as we do, let us see a few opportunities we experience—HOME.

See within your mind three simple living rooms, one filled with two couches, two rockers, two end tables, one television, and one coffee table.  Another living room filled with one couch, one chair, an end table, a television, a coffee table, a corner shelf, and a dog crate sitting in the far corner. Then see the third living room filled with a large picture window that looks out toward the city street, a couch, a television, and a framed map of Kentucky hanging upon the wall. “Normal” living rooms of three homes.  Within these homes, we see people arise from their night of rest, prepare for their day, eat their meals, and share their stories.  However, does the outside dwelling or the interior items or the actions within the walls of the home truly create the HOME?

Now see within your mind a borrowed bed, a borrowed chest of drawers, a lamp and maybe a borrowed chair.  A “typical” dorm room found on any college campus.  A temporary HOME for a semester, one that houses reminders of the student’s REAL HOME far away, but still a part-time HOME for a young adult who seeks an education, even while living separated from those he calls “family” and childhood “friends.”  Can the university dorm room make the student feel at HOME during the brief semesters he lives within the four walls, or does he feel internally separated from his REAL HOME and those he dearly loves?

Finally, now see within your mind a Bible placed upon a table, but do not see the table;  see the Bible.  See the Holy Word of God.  See the Holy Scripture.  When lifting up the Word from the table, we “thumb through,” seeing the “personal notes” written in the margins of the pages, seeing the “personal highlights,” seeing the “personal thoughts” of the one who reads this Bible.  If we look beyond the thoughts, beyond the words written near the edges of the page, and beyond the yellow highlights, we find the truest HOME that can ever be found.  Within God’s Word, we see the truth of God, the way He draws us to Himself, the way God sent Jesus to the world to provide the only way for us to become His children.  When we read the Word of God, we find the only way to TRULY GO HOME TO ETERNITY WITH GOD once our life here on earth is finished.  We wonder:  Why would anyone EVER CHOOSE to turn his back on God’s offer of eternity in heaven with Him?

The LORD will guide us—HOME.

The LORD will walk with us through life—before we go—HOME.

The LORD will direct our steps as we live—leading us to prepare for our Going HOME Day.

The LORD will.

The LORD will provide us a “faith walk” & “His Direction” as we “walk” toward our “HOME in HEAVEN” in obedience to HIM.

Yes, GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT will lead us every day of our life to walk with HIM, to follow HIM, and to allow HIM to help us with the decisions, both big and small.

Yes, GOD is with us on our journey through this life, as we invite others to walk with God too, because soon we will BE HOME eternally and forevermore with HIM.

Do not believe me but believe God’s Word.

See With Me.