Strong pillars make a strong home.
Every person desires to have a place where they can call home. A home is where we live and get to after a long day. However, our homes sometimes turn out to be a place where we relieve others’ pain by welcoming them and allowing them to find comfort in our dwelling place. Every creature created by God had a specific environment that became its habitat depending on its characteristics. When God created Human beings, He placed them in the Garden of Eden, where they would call home. But do you know that a home could transform someone’s life and make them find peace and refuge in it?
A home can be a place where we find rest.
We always have our daily endeavors, which sometimes leave us exhausted. Some of our daily experiences may be painful, others tiresome, others frustrating, and some may make us grow weary. But in the end, we get to our homes hoping for a better tomorrow and things to get better. God knew the purpose of having a home and said that we should go to him when we feel burdened and weary to get rest (Matthew 11:28). We always need somewhere to run to after tiresome, discouraging, and exhaustive life experiences. A home is where we run to, rest, get refreshed, reenergized, and empowered to keep going. It makes us get out of the situation we are experiencing mentally and emotionally and instead attach our mind and energy to the goal we want to achieve.
A home can be a place where one gets relieved.
Among the best feelings in life is being relieved from some weight that troubles us. The experience takes away the weight a troubled heart is carrying. Most life experiences tend to feel like going through hell, and we always want to get away from that experience as much as possible. But where we run to also matters because we all want to run to a place where we can get refuge and comfort. When we create an accommodative environment for ourselves and others, we allow positivity to overflow, instill hope and a sense of living and get equipped to wake up and try again. Weeping may stay with us for the night, but joy may follow us in the morning (Psalms 30;5). The verse encourages us to always hope for a better tomorrow and relieve all the pain over the night because God always promises to do a new thing in our life when the time is right.
A good home needs calls and may need extra effort and sacrifice.
Jesus promises us through his word about preparing a place before (John 14:3). Coming for us. We, as believers, are waiting for him, but it is evident that some work needs to be done. Like a house is built with more effort and costs, so does a home to accommodate others, as Christians need that effort. We are all hopeful of going to heaven, and no one wishes to go to hell if they believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus being the only way, we can only get to heaven through him. As Christians, we need to put in extra effort if we want our homes to be a hallway. This includes following the greatest commandment, which is love. Do people feel safe with us or when we accommodate them?
Can someone turn to us for comfort? and are we well equipped with virtues that guide us as believers? No one would want to run from hell to another hell, and so we should always create a home for troubled souls. In addition, another fruit of the Holy Spirit that is essential is kindness. We have to put more effort into achieving this and deny ourselves some of the things we have for others. We should be ready to share the little we have with others and not let them die first because of hunger, as demonstrated by the widow of Zarephath, who gave Elijah the only food left, but good God never allowed her jars to run dry (1 Kings 17;7-16). By being kind to others, we may be tapping our blessings.
The right home has God as the foundation.
God is our source, and we are created in His image. We must stay connected to him for guidance, protection, and provision. No matter how much we want to extend our hospitality to others, we should allow God to be at the center. If we dwell in the shelter of God Almighty, he is always going to be our refuge and fortress (Psalms 91;1-2). This means that unless we acknowledge God as our source of strength, protection, and comfort, we cannot conquer and help others win. He is the only source, and those who stay connected to the source always have a divine flow that can reach others. As Christians, the big question is whether we have something to give to troubled people who need our help. Are you filled enough to have an overflow of the goodness of God?
Pillars that hold a refuge home.
Love.
The greatest commandment is to love others. It is also the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God gave us Jesus Christ out of love to die for us, however blameless he was. This sacrifice gave us a way to heaven, which is our home. We were saved from sin out of love, and we always have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us. The same has to apply to Christian life. If they are hungry, we should feed them. If sick, we should speak healing. We should inform them about the prince of peace if they need peace. If they are troubled, we should be there to encourage them. Love means not resting until others are at peace. It requires a lot of sacrifices, and by it, we can save others from life-threatening situations.
Kindness.
Being kind means free to give or share what we have, no matter how little it is. A home is where we get nourished, and this comes from something. As Christians, we should have a bigger heart to accommodate others, a bigger hand to extend to the disadvantaged, and a bigger table to share with them. Kindness is a virtue that, when embraced, keeps us united, allowing God to dwell among us and show us the way.
Full armor.
We also need to have the whole armor of God to help us and others withstand the wiles of the evil one. We should be soldiers who are ready to fight for ourselves and others. This means that we don’t leave injured soldiers to die; instead, we fight for them and help them heal their wounds. Therefore being prayerful, reading the word of God, and having faith in God, among others, as stated in Ephesians 6, will help us win the battle, win for us and help those who need us. By this, we create a home for them and make them feel they belong to the kingdom. We should always be equipped because we never know who will come knocking on our door. Full armor gives us the power to discern the right tactic based on the situation.
Today’s prayer.
Thank you, God, for your great love and for being our source of strength and refuge. We acknowledge your love upon us, demonstrated by the death of Jesus Christ. Help us spread this love to others who may feel rejected and alone. You are our source of strength, and when we grow weary, you are always there to reenergize us and strengthen us. We pray that you may be the foundation of our homes and our lives so that we can be firm in you and help those who do not know you understand the mysteries of your unconditional love. Please help us always have an overflow of your goodness, and let us be the source of divine comfort to the troubled. We pray you, Lord, to equip us with discernment and understanding so that you may inspire our thoughts and decisions. Thank you for your love and kindness. May it overflow in us. Amen.
Final Thoughts.
-We should always allow God to dwell in us to complete our home.
-When should we always stay connected to our source, who is God, our creator, to have an abundance of what we can give to others?
-God is faithful, and whatever he promises, he does. Therefore we should always act in faith, knowing that he will never allow us to lack or grow weary or overwhelmed. He is a faithful God, and he always loves us unconditionally.