{Be Loving} Coming Home When Home Isn’t There

The holidays sure do put me in a daze (get it…holi-DAZE…right?…okay I’m done). The end of the year is rapidly approaching as I try to tie up any loose ends and get everything in order. There is a silent, unspoken rush that permeates the malls, the roads, even our houses. Just today I spent some time at the mall while I was waiting for the bus and everyone seemed to have a similar look of urgency on their face…in the midst of the lights and cookies, the parties and hot chocolate, the singing and gifts, we are still running around slightly lost, yearning for home. Especially that picturesque, perfect and lovely idea we have in our head – something like the below.

I could be speaking for myself here, but I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who feels slightly displaced this time of year. My parents are divorced and live in two separate states, my sister lives in a different state, I have new step brothers and sister who are also far away, and then there’s me. I want to speak to those who live in the brokenness of divorce but also to any who feels out of place in the midst of the shuffle to get just the right present, just the right sale, just the right dress, you name it.

You are not, and will never be, alone. 

When I was praying about what to write about this week, God told me that you needed to be reminded that He is there in the midst of everything. I thought for a moment about how simple this truth is to grasp yet how easily it slips though our fingers. He is here. He is with you right now. The lover of our souls, our comforter, our peace, our joy, is with us always dwelling within us.

Isaiah 43:2 / When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

If I could give you one thing to take away is that although this season is generally all about everything around you, don’t forget about you and Jesus. Don’t forget that you always have a home no matter how broken yours may be and it is with Jesus. When we can’t go home like we’d like because the home we once had is broken, lost, or displaced, there’s no better time to go to Him. He brought to mind this quote:

My heart lives in so many places. With so many people. But God whispers to me that I really have only one home, and that is with Him. I will never be content on this earth. I will always be a nomad. It was meant to be that way. My heart was created with a desire for a home, a nest, a sanctuary, and that can be found only with Him in Heaven. // Katie Davis

If you feel lost in the shuffle, go to Him. There are tens if not more verses in The Bible about “come away with me and rest.” Probably the most known and widely quoted yet something we need to remember is Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Don’t be afraid to run to Him. He loves you so much and wants you to feel at home with Him. This time of the year tends to be especially messy and not picturesque. That’s okay. Jesus is still Himself: perfect and without sin, yet He came down and was one of us. He knows what it’s like to be in the midst of a great mess. 

He loves you so much.
Rest in Him.