Today, as I was driving home with my 3 girls, we passed some nicer, upscale homes. Not mansions, but houses that definitely have more square footage than ours. Some of my friends have recently bought or built their dream homes. Some other friends are in the process of doing the same thing. It's easy to get jealous, to think I need to jump on the band wagon, to believe that we really do need a bigger, nicer, more updated house ourselves.
And then I think about how many bathrooms I would have to clean (or ask my husband to clean, because he's pretty amazing and actually does quite a bit of our house work). The thought of that many toilets helps remind me that I am quite content with our 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom home.
So I keep on driving, but as I do, I can't help but hear God whisper to my heart of hearts, "Don't worry about a dream home there on earth. I'm making the home of your dreams up here anyway. It will blow your mind!"
I start to picture it, but I can't get past the street of gold I'm walking on. And I really don't know where to begin in trying to figure out a blueprint for this heavenly mansion, but I realize I am more excited about being with God Himself that I don't even really care about the house He has so carefully and caringly designed for me.
He brings a verse to mind, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." ~Matthew 6:19-21
It's as if He's telling me, "Home is where the heart is."
And in doing so, He's inviting me to make HIM my home, to love HIM with all my heart, to want HIM more than anything else, including a dream house here on earth.
I'm not saying it's wrong to have a dream house. I know many of my friends who have recently bought or built dream homes or who are in the process right now have good hearts and will uses these marvelous homes to entertain friends, to host parties for their kiddos, to provide a place for family and friends to crash, and to bless others in so many other ways.
I think maybe God is trying to help me fight the jealousy bug and remind me that a dream house is not in His plans for me, at least not right now. And that is perfectly fine. I feel in a way that we are already in our dream house - we certainly have everything we need and more. We are definitely able to carry out the ministry we believe God has laid on our hearts and called us to do at this time. We are blessed, beyond measure.
Instead of a dream house, God is stirring up other desires deep within my heart. To provide a HOME for children who need love. To help support ministries like Selah Freedom who are rescuing those caught in human trafficking and giving them a place to call HOME. To bring attention to what ministries like Children's Cup are doing to make sure families in Africa have water and food and a HOME. To pray diligently and earnestly for children who need to be adopted, for the kidnapped girls in Nigeria, for the mother who was imprisoned simply for being a Christian, for others who are hurting right here in my own neighborhood.
As my It Works business grows, all because of GOD, my hope and prayer is to use those funds to bless others. I'm not sure exactly what all that is going to look like, but I do know it means using the financial resources God blesses us with to make a difference in people's lives. Above all, it means inviting them to make Christ their HOME, to enjoy a personal relationship with Him, to travel the journey He has laid out for them, and to enjoy spending eternity with Him forever.
Within minutes of Him reminding me to be content with my current HOUSE, I believe He also had Casting Crown's new song Thrive play on the radio. Yes, I can be satisfied with my house, BUT I am NOT to be content with an ordinary life. Oh no!!! Quite the opposite -- God wasn't just whispering this time but shouting as if to make sure I heard Him loud and clear, "I am made for more. I'm not supposed to survive. I am called to THRIVE." My life purpose, above all else is "to know Him and make Him known." As I do, as I spend time with my Jesus, He will fill me with "joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable, love unstoppable" and the mindset that "anything is possible" as I let Him do His work in and through me!
I may not need a dream house, but I am not settling either.
And nor should YOU!
We are both MADE FOR MORE, so much more!
I don't know what plans and purposes God has specifically for you, but I do know they are BIG. HUGE. Beyond anything you can even begin to think or imagine or dare to dream.
I don't care what kind of house you live in now or if you have a dream house (or want one). I am, however, deeply concerned about your HEART. As God works on MY heart, I feel compelled to share what He is doing and to ask others to join me. It's probably more for my benefit, really. I need all the help I can get to stay focused on what God is doing and the plans He has for me. I can't do it alone. I NEED encouragement and support. And I know you need that too. We're better together.
My biggest prayer is that Christ would be at HOME in my heart, and in yours.
As we invite Him in, He will transform our lives and do AMAZING things in and through us.
If that sounds at all good to you, let me know!!! I would LOVE to pray for you and with you!
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