Home. When does a house start to feel like home? Last night, I was on a semi-maniacal mission to clear the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom of boxes before bed. Even though it was only our second night in the house, I wanted to wake up to some box-free zones. It helped, it really did. Until I walked into the garage. Or downstairs.
It’s not just the corrugated cardboard that is getting to me. I want this lovely house to start feeling like my home. It still feels like I am a visitor. The kitchen is different, the appliances are all different, even the views are different. The walls are still mostly bare, and I haven’t dug through enough boxes to find the family pictures. This house will make a lovely home, it just isn’t quite my home yet.
And so we’ll just keep unpacking and settling in. We’ll get to know the quirks of the house. The stuff of our lives will begin to accumulate around us. One morning, I will wake up and think how good it is to be home.
As I work with new members to my church, it seems like the same issues exist. Newcomers don’t know their way around the various groups and activities of the church. The worship service may be different than their previous experience. Finding the restrooms or finding a group to eat with after the service can both pose challenges. With time, church becomes home, but it isn’t always easy.
The main doors to the church say, in huge letters, “Welcome Home.” I pray that God’s house feels like home to those who come through those doors.
