Soul Home!

June 10, 2021

Soul-Home!

I may have made a mistake.  While our kitchen was being gutted and remodeled, my wife and I decided to do a deep spring cleaning and have a garage sale…for two days on one week-end and two days on another week-end.

It sounded like a great idea when we first talked.  Because every single thing that was in our kitchen was now in our dining room, it was a great time to sort and clean.  So, I reasoned, why not extend the sorting and cleaning to every room in the house. 

It was a perfect plan!  Well, except for one thing; I need at least one room in the house that feels like a refuge from all the chaos I often encounter at work.  There was no safe place at home.  There was no sanctuary at home.  There was no peace at home. 

All the unsettledness was fine for a week or so.  And then, it became more and more obvious that I was becoming more and more anxious and impatient.  There was no place for rest, no place for refreshment, no place for renewal.  There was no sense of home.

The experience made me wonder if there is a similar longing in my soul; a longing for soul-home.

Our soul longs to be home.  And, the only place our soul feels at home is near the heart of the Lord God.  Near the heart of Jesus is where I finally let go of my control and let the Spirit help me and heal me.  Near the heart of Jesus is where I find my hope restored, my joy overflowing, and God’s peace precious.

I am reminded of the song, “I am Thine, O Lord” by Fanny Crosby.    

“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.”

The invitation is clear; Lord, draw me nearer and nearer to your side.  The promise of the song is that our soul is home when we are near the heart of Jesus.  It is near the heart of Jesus that I know the glory and goodness as well as the grace and generosity of the Lord. 

The problem is that we too often limit God’s promises to our life on earth.  We limit the power of God’s love in Jesus by underestimating the blessing of being near the heart of Jesus in this life as well as in heaven. 

Every day is meant to be lived and enjoyed for the gift that it is today while at the same time always keeping our eyes on the promise of being at home with Jesus in heaven. 

In Colossians 3:1-2 the Apostle Paul writes to those who loved Jesus with all their heart and soul and mind.  Paul writes; “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth…” 

Paul invites you and me to keep our soul always focused on the things that are above.  The things that are above is our home in heaven.  Heaven is our ultimate and eternal home.  Heaven is the place where we are always near the heart of Jesus.  Heaven is my soul-home.

My soul needs a continual re-orienting around the reality of heaven not so that I live in some kind of fantasy world but so that my soul is always clear about its ultimate destination.  With this clarity, the chaos around me and the chaos in me, do not derail me or distract me or destroy me. 

Instead, with my soul-home (heaven!) always on my mind, always in my heart, and always the desire of my soul, I will delight in many blessings that might otherwise escape my attention.  And, every day I will take delight in the Lord for continually drawing me home to His heart and to His heaven.

Take delight in the Lord!

Doug