Jesus said, “Those who truly love me obey my teachings. My Father loves them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23).

What does being “at home” mean to you ?

Home is a place of safety. A personal sanctuary. The place we return to from work, from journeys, from missions, where we can rest before going out again. Resting here is like no other retreat house, because here we are surrounded by comfort: people who care about us, possessions that reflect who we are and what we enjoy, and memories that make us smile. Home is where we can kick off our shoes, strip off the masks we present to the world, and be who we really are.

If we truly love Jesus, we embrace his teachings, because we trust him and everything he says and does, and because we desire to be like him. God feels very at home with us. We are his sanctuary. He is safe with us. He can rest in us. When others wound Jesus, he feels comforted by us. We are his healers; we care when he is mistreated. We belong to him; he possesses our hearts that reflect who he really is.

Some people live in houses that are not peaceful sanctuaries. They are homeless even while they have a roof over their heads. Where, then, can they escape to for the safety and rest they need? Healing is needed. Jesus himself is their sanctuary. He wants to show them the way to safety. He wants to heal them through good counselors.

Sometimes, we make God feel homeless in us. A sinning heart is not a peaceful sanctuary but a place of walls that block out God.

Your loving heart is where God feels at home. Before you get busy with today’s next activity, give him a little more time to rest in you. Let God bring you into His home.

© 2014 by Terry A. Modica