'Carry your home inside you'

"I'm going home. Home sweet home," and "There's no place like home" are all phrases we hear, regarding home and our attachment or distaste for it.

Recently, I had the pleasure to read a retirement letter written by a friend and former co-worker. In the letter Debbie thanked everyone for their love and friendship throughout her term of employment at the institution. Debbie was one of those people you seldom meet regarding her job. It was truly a ministry and a vocation for her. She gave it her all. She said her place of employment had become a home to her. Debbie already had plans to move back to her birthplace when she retired. "It seems I am always going back home, somewhere," she said. Wherever Debbie felt comfort, peace, and love within her living environment. I believe she felt at home.

Aren't we all like that? Don't we all usually like to have a place to call home? I mulled Debbie's comment around in my head and began to research what the word, "home," means to various people. Does home mean a particular house? What qualities must be present before you can call a place or state of mind, home? Is it where particular people reside, or where memories are either in the making -- or have already been imprinted in our minds? There are numerous and varied meanings to the word.

Home is truly "where the heart is." A place where one can feel comfortable and at peace. Home can be what and where you make it. I watched a movie recently and witnessed the story of a young boy who decided to leave his home on the farm and search out greener pastures. He believed the farm held no future for him. It was too quiet and uneventful. He wanted to be out in the world where, he perceived, all the action to be.

As one might suppose, sure enough, the boy found the grass to be no greener. He found the lack of peace due to the noisiness of the city was not for him. He craved his former home and simple life. He yearned for "home." Of course the boy went back to the farm and finally appreciated his former environment. He felt comfort, love, and a sense of belonging there. An adult friend, then, gave the youth some solid advice. He told the boy that moving about looking for a situation where you can feel at home is not your answer. He said, "You carry your home inside you. You have to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Build a self that you can be proud of. One that you can love and depend on." What great advice for anyone.

We are looking for a home our whole life. A place where we are peaceful and just be ourselves. One where we offer no pretenses or wear no masks. It belongs to us. Our physical home can be in a box, if we are homeless, or in a mansion. The important thing is that we can feel comfortable, secure and loved.

Christians look forward to going home to Jesus at the end of their lives. "My Father's house has many rooms; If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:2)

Your home can be any place where God is. Since I believe that He dwells within me, I can be at home anytime and anyplace, with or without an actual structure. My home is within the person, God, and the feeling of safety and love He provides.

We all hunger for a place or state of mind that nourishes our spirits and gives to us, a sense of peace and stability. We like to go back there, in mind or physically.

What does home really mean to you? What home are you aiming for?