There's No Place Like Home

You've heard the saying, "home is where the heart is."   I came to understand the meaning of this phrase at a young age. We moved from my birthplace of Beaumont, TX just before my tenth birthday. Our new home?  Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.  It is hard to find two more different locales than that.  I never imagined the land of sand, camels, and giant sunsets would ever feel like my home, but three years it was as hard to leave as Texas had been.  Then the suburbs of Washington D.C., also know as Northern Virginia, took over the "home" spot and after my high school graduation, Waco, Houston and Dallas all took turns at hosting my belongings.  Now "home" is in several places, and it has nothing to do with where my bed, makeup brushes, or shoes reside.  Home is where I feel most comfortable and most comforted.  Home is where I'm loved unconditionally and confronted most honestly.  Home is wherever I can be with my family and hear the truth about myself and the love that they offer because of, and in spite of, that truth. 


The past couple of weeks have been hard ones, as I faced a heartbreaking loss.  I struggled to swim through the grief, despair, and disappointment, and  I knew that I needed to find an island where I could rest and recover my strength.  I needed a place where I could find my feet and stand firm again on the solid ground of God's truth.  I found that island at "home".  At my home in Dallas with my husband where his words, his love, and his steadfastness held me upright.  At my home in Houston where my parents met me with wisdom, comfort,  and their own stories of Christ's faithfulness through hard times.  At my home in Germany, where my sister shared my grief and prayed for my wounded heart.  At my homes, in the suburbs of Washington D.C., Dallas, Plano, Houston, Lantana, Miami, and more where my friends loved me via phone and email with prayers, encouraging words, and true empathy. Home is where I feel safe and secure.  It is where I know God loves me far beyond what can be measured. It is where the words of Psalm 102 come alive, 


"The children of your people will live in security.  
Their children's children will thrive in your presence." 


No matter how great the sorrow, disappointment, or loss, I am never alone or abandoned.  I am always in the presence of God, comforted by His grace, mercy, and love.  He keeps me surrounded by those who love me, support me, and encourage me, and He uses their words , their arms, and their physical presence to show me His love.  I am always at home, and there is truly no place like it.