I completed my vision board and stood back, then laughed. This was a first—in the center of my board was a photo of a pot filled with green beans! Staring at the photo, I could almost smell the deliciousness, and now, every time I pass my board, I still catch a whiff. Smells are powerful, even if they are only in our memories. That pot of green beans takes me back to childhood, when my grandma would cook them with potatoes and ham, and the rooms filled with the smell of home, sweet home.
The hardest part of losing my dad last year was feeling parentless. I missed picking up the phone and calling Mom and Dad, listening to them talk me through a tough hurdle and praying over me. I missed the feeling of being home, and aroma of delicious food in the air.
The sleet falling this past week forced many of us to stay inside our homes, and after a tough week of some heartbreaking losses, I was feeling homesick. Sometimes, that feeling comes from nowhere, and I want to pick up the phone and ask Mom and Dad to come rescue me from the shaky ground beneath my feet. As I was sitting inside, staying warm and watching the icy street in front of my house, I thought about green beans. I needed a pot of those, along with the ham and potatoes, and the smell filling our home. I took care of that longing, and filled a pot with green beans so I could smell the goodness of home.
As I breathed in memories, the Lord sweetly reminded me that no matter how homesick I am, He is my home. Green beans and childhood memories don’t define home, but it’s His presence within my heart that brings me to that safe place, over and over again. I only need to close my eyes, and I am reminded that the Lord is always with me, in every place I step. His arms carry me through the uncertain days, all the way home. This truth gives me a warm peace, and a deep knowing that no
matter how hard the day, month, or year seems, everything will be okay. (Philippians 4:7)
Family is the vessel God chose when he ushered Jesus into a cold, dark world, and He is preparing a forever home for me in heaven. In the meantime, His spirit lives inside me here on earth and I am never separated from His presence, even through tragedies, sickness, pandemic, world turmoil and constant change. The presence of God is within me and that feels like home.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your home. (Psalm 84:1-4)
That psalm captures our longing for home and acknowledges that our souls yearn to be in the place where God dwells. And we are. He is always walking beside us and lives within us, reminding us we are already home. That, my friends, is better than any pot of green beans with ham and potatoes. His presence is our home, sweet home.