Home is where your Nook is. During this and more upcoming school breaks and vacations, I will be staying with my mom and her partner. They currently only have a one bedroom apartment, but they have gone far and beyond to bless me with a space to call my own. As one enters the living room, they can easily notice a solemn “wall” of red curtains, cutting off a part of the room from the rest. This divider is the beginning of my beloved Nook. It is quaint, yet extremely cozy and lovable. The space has become my own. I cannot acknowledge my Nook without giving proper credit to its creators. My mom and Gayle have become pillars in my life. They keep me from caving in and are always there for me in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t have felt as comfortable sleeping in a living room if it wasn’t for their comfort and nurturing hearts.
Home is where your Church is. Although I have been attending a new church up here in Massachusetts (for the most part), my first church home will always take heart at the Raleigh Vineyard. That lovely sanctuary was where some of my vital growing up years was experienced. I learned that family could go beyond blood and could be a spiritual thing. Some of my backbone support attends the Raleigh Vineyard. They will forever be a family I can turn to, as well as a home to run to.
Home is where your Growth is. (I couldn’t think of a better title for this section). It was a simple day. I had driven back to campus (I had spent the weekend at my mom’s), when I called my mom to let her know that I had gotten to Gordon safely. My words were along the lines of this: I made it back home. I had referred to my college as home. Oh boy. Despite how wrong those words at the moment sounded, they were honestly true. Gordon is my home. As I sit here, typing away at this post, I eagerly await returning to that gorgeous campus (now covered in wonderful snow). For that moment when I get to reunite with my dear roommate and friends and continue this still new and thrilling journey that is college.
Home is where Jesus is. This is a reference on the current life, where salvation is not something to come after death, but that can also come now. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is well alive right this very minute in the hearts of those who have acknowledged him and accepted his gift of life. Jesus isn’t stuck in the church. He is with us EVERY step of the way. Jesus isn’t only found at the Raleigh Vineyard. He isn’t hiding behind the curtain wall that conceals my wonderful Nook. I don’t just meet him amidst the campus and life at Gordon. Where I go, Jesus meets me there. Where Jesus is, as well as where you invite him into, becomes a home.
Home is where you heart is. So, if Jesus is in your heart…dare I say anymore?
