When Home Hurts

I’ll never forget the first time I saw it: the foreclosure notice tacked to the front door. At fifteen, I was old enough to understand its meaning. The bank was coming to take our house away. I’d experienced enough under its roof to know that this outcome was inevitable. We were already living without heat or hot water, and our house was falling into disrepair. My father had a great job, but my mother had squandered everything and then some, and now there was nothing left. It would be another ten years before the house was finally gone, but that notice was the perfect example of just how unstable my home life was. Perhaps you can relate because your parents are divorced and you move back and forth between homes. Maybe you’re in foster care and your home is ever changing. Maybe you experience poverty, home insecurity, or abuse. Or maybe it’s something else. Safe, secure homes are good, good things. God created us with needs, and it’s right to desire to have them met. During His earthly ministry, Jesus provided for people through things like food and bodily healing, as well as through sharing the good, hope-filled news of His kingdom with them. We are called to serve those who are struggling and marginalized just as He did. But, if we put our ultimate hope in anything other than Christ, we will always come up empty. Home is supposed to be a place of refuge, and when it’s not, it can make you feel isolated, embarrassed, and lost. Fortunately, though, the Bible tells us that, even when our home is uncertain, broken, or nonexistent, we can find hope and comfort in God. He offers us the kind of security that no earthly dwelling can. When we build our understanding of home upon His foundation, we have something more certain than anything this world can provide. • Alissa Griffin Reread Matthew 7:24-27. What does Jesus mean when He talks about the wise and foolish builders? What kind of foundation does He want us to build our hope and lives upon? What are we promised in Revelation 21:1-4? How does that compare to our present reality? If you are experiencing home insecurity or family instability, who is a trusted friend in your life you can talk to about it? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Matthew 7:24-27; Romans 8:35-39