Skip to main content

Home

             By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Psalm 24:3-4

Sometimes, I find myself wondering about what makes a place a home. There are probably hundreds of answers. This may be just another of the mental calisthenics with which I torture myself, but calisthenics can produce health and strength if used properly. What do you think makes a house a home? Please put an answer in the comments. It doesn’t have to be long or formal.

Let’s state the obvious. God and love are the primary ingredients of a home. Today’s passage suggests that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are also keys to making a home. Those things are all needed for the engineering, design, and construction of the building but one can hire the best in the business and not end up with a home. I don’t believe technical expertise was all that was meant by wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. They’re also involved in filling a home with rare and beautiful treasures, and I’ll come back to those in a moment.

As I consider the idea, a home is a place of safety, where you can be yourself. But we shouldn’t think of “being ourselves” as self-indulgence. We should aim for home to be where we can aspire to be our best selves, while we can accept and overcome our less-than-best selves. It is a place where we can find comfort but not be allowed to remain in our comfort zones for too long. It is a refuge, but not a place to which to escape. It is a haven but also a base of operations. I have no idea what any of that looks like for you. For some, a home might be a place to which you bring others. For others, the visitors might be few.

Home is where our treasures are stored. This may be the aspect of “home” that will help me in my quest. Of course, when I first read the passage, I thought about the things that a thief might want to steal, like paintings, electronics, the silver, money, etc. I don’t have a lot of thief-temptation. Relationships also come to mind. There are people for whom “treasure” refers to people who come and go from the place. I’m not opposed to people - I’m just not good at them. On the other hand, I am learning to garden and trying to build a treasure trove of plants. I am reading some very good books. Some I own, but even without owning them, reading them makes them a part of my treasure. Learning also produces treasures along the same line. Food for thought for any over-thinkers out there.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more