I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked. // Psalm 84:11
I took the “Welcome Home” sign by both ends, letting the center dangle by my feet. The shiny blue letters caught the light as I stepped up on the little ladder. It was a simple thing of burlap and twine, dollar store supplies that took a few minutes to put together while dinner simmered in the background.
Welcome Home.
I was making it for me as much as for him. One more outward expression that I was glad he was home. Along with fresh sheets on his bed and clean towels on his chair, the banner was a sign that we were glad he was home.
None of it was necessary—my son knows how to change sheets and find his own towel. It was the thought, the message that the effort conveyed, that would make the difference.
Welcome Home.
We all want a place to call home—to be appreciated and missed when we are away. To feel completely accepted and loved for who we are underneath. To be understood.
As I strive to make a home for my family where they are welcomed and accepted, I recognize a longing to be more at home with the Lord and know that I am welcomed into His dwelling place, fully understood, accepted, known, and loved. I am caught between making a place here on earth—a tangible place for others to be known and loved—and a restlessness only satisfied in my Heavenly, eternal home. May the Lord allow me to lay on the threshold of His Home, to use my house as an entry point inviting people not only into my life, but also into a relationship with Him.
Sister, where are you most at home? Have you intentionally invited the Lord into that space? Ask Him to give you a taste of His eternal home.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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