Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: The Family Home (05/29/08)
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TITLE: Is It A Place? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Florence Roberts
06/05/08 -
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Many sayings tell us about the significance of a home. Webster’s dictionary defines home as an abiding place of one’s affections, a place where one likes to be and a restful or congenial place. The above go along with sayings like, “Home is where the heart is;” and “A house is not a home.” I like both of these definitions because the former talks about the qualities of peace, rest, joy, love, tranquility. The latter further emphasizes the importance of the non tangible concept of home. In other words a material structure is not necessarily a home. A nice house materially does not necessarily mean it affords the qualities that make a home. When we talk of a broken home we are not referring to the physical structure. What has come to be known as a broken home is the interruption of the harmonious flow of the intangible qualities that a home offers like safety, security, love, joy, contentment, respect and beauty.
We learn through the scriptures that our home is in God. Scriptural references such as “come unto me all ye that labor and I will give thee rest.” Heaven is your home. Only in God do we find all the qualities that make a home. Our concept of home should be approaching the spiritual definition of home which involves everlasting qualities mentioned above that nothing can take away from us.
Webster’s dictionary defines family as Father, Mother and children. Another definition is, “a collection or union of things having a common source.” These definitions speak to all mankind, since whether we like it or not we all have our source in God. When the Bible talks so much about our brethren as one another and Jesus’ own example in many instances teach us to see all mankind as our brethren we have an obligation to heed what the savior came to teach. If we love God, shouldn’t we try to live some of the meaning of what Jesus came to teach? The greatest prayer He taught mankind starts with “Our Father.” This prayer unifies all mankind and points to our common source. The admonition to Love one another did not say love only those you live with in your physical home.
In obedience to the scriptures we must embrace the concept of family and the brotherhood of all mankind with one God as our Father–mother source. If all good comes from God then all the qualities we need are in God where our real home is. We can experience these intangible qualities first in consciousness in each of our consciousness as we endeavor to bathe our consciousness in the values of honesty, love, compassion, thoughtfulness helpfulness, beauty, harmony. Such consciousness is one with God and is the family home we will experience practically since “As a man thinketh so is he.”
Our real family includes all mankind thus our real family home can only be in our thoughts, in pure consciousness where we experience God as those loving qualities that warm the heart, make us feel loved, give a sense of security, provides ideas that gets our needs met and gives us a peaceful rest. Our individual consciousness is The Family Home. The only real family home, where man can really rest!
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