Encouragement

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I don't know about you, but one of my biggest struggles is staying satisfied.
The old adage "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" is an
excellent description of our human nature. We always want that which is just
outside our reach, just beyond our place in life. It just seems we can never be
completely satisfied with what we have, who we're with or where we're at. We're
always wanting newer, bigger, better, younger, prettier, faster, different, etc.

I read an interesting article the other day on unusual lodgings. Places
where we can go on vacation that are beyond the norm.. something unique and
different from the average two bedroom ranch style house that we call "home".
This article reports on a variety of such dwelling places; Luxury tree houses,
sharecropper's shotgun shacks, a two bedroom apartment thirty feet underwater,
original red knotty pine train cabooses, monasteries, a 1950'ish shiny aluminum
travel trailer, a cave seventy feet underground and my favorite; concrete
teepees.

Its fun to explore new venues like that and can be quite exciting actually.
Just spending the time gathering up all the information, studying the
brochures, looking at the many pictures and imagining ourselves there can even be
enjoyable. Sometimes we even venture out and actually experience some of those
off beat and interesting offerings laid before us. We take a break from home..
from our routines... we escape the "norms" and runaway for a life other than
that which we live. It may be for a weekend, a week or two or maybe even for
a month, but eventually we find ourselves on the route back, making the
return trip home. I can't speak for any of you, but I know when I get back from my
wanderings, there is just something special about stepping into my own home.
There is really never a "home away from home" place. Home is home, in all its
regularities and familiarities, and its good.

In John 14, verse 23 Jesus said; "If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching. My Father will love him, and will come to him and make our home with him."
As believers in Christ, our "spiritual home" is in Him and is with Him and it
is a place full of love. How often have we left our home with Him?? How
many other ways have we tried to satisfy our longings and desires? How many times
have we put our faith in ideas, wealth, knowledge, other men and even in
ourselves? How many times have we fallen prey to false promises and idyllic
dreams? How many times have we truly been content and satisfied in any of those
other things? The number of times doesn't really matter all that much. What
matters is, we can always go home. Other places may seem to be more fun and more
exciting. They may promise more amenities and creature comforts. They may claim
to have more to offer but the truth is, there really is no place like home.
God is waiting for our return and will accept us back into the warmth of his
loving embrace. When the grass begins to look greener on the other side of the
fence, we need to remember that. When we begin to look for a more unusual
place to dwell, we need to remember "Home".

If you feel like you have left your relationship with Christ and find
yourself searching for something new, I encourage you to return home. Jesus is
there at the door, waiting for your return with open arms and a forgiving heart.

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