HOME

by Stephen W. Smith

In the spiritual life, place matters. Ever since we left Eden, we’ve been in search of it again and again. I know I have. In this first issue of the Soul Care Ezine, we’re focusing on “home.” Here, we want to explore the place of our home—that place where you actually live and the role and influences that this place has on our spiritual lives.

​Jesus reminds us that the “Birds build their nests. The foxes dig their holes…” Take a look at the banner art. Notice the bird’s nest. All creation is busy at work building and protecting their homes. Everything that is created has a sense of home somewhere—in some sphere of creation. Looking for our home has been called the pilgrimage of the human life experience. As we grow, mature, and age, our sense of home changes through the years.

We are not ghosts. The very soul of humans is housed in a body and our body matters. Where we live matters

Gwen and I have just moved into a home that we are fixing up to make it more “us.” In the short few weeks, we’ve “lived” here, we’ve been amazed at what our new outer residence has done to our inner lives. I feel more alive; more centered; more passionate…well, “more” everything. I feel healthier here in every way. I’ve often lamented “But, what took me so long to get here?” That’s a soulful question, isn’t it?

Bottom line, this new place called home has stirred me deeply. It’s meant renovation. This meant new paint—Gwen chose “Sesame White” for the walls with a brighter white for the new, wider floor molding. We added a stack stone fireplace taking out a marble one. We had to have a new roof added—the old one had reached its life expectancy. As you read through the Soul Care Ezine, read the quote we’ve included by C. S. Lewis. See what you think. What’s the renovation God is doing right now in you?

In Scriptures, we see God’s people living in tents, walled cities, and villages. They looked for the Promised Land and did not give up until they found it and made it their home. That meant an Exodus—and to find our true home there may need to be an personal “exodus”—a move from the wilderness that takes time to find our own sense of “home.”

In our human history, we see people moving into cities and away from cities. We see them adjusting to the deserts and moving to mountain settings. Some lived by water. Some in suburbs. Some very remotely. It might be by choice; preference or necessity. It may be temporal or permanent. It could be life stage or heart stage that makes us pull up our stakes and set out for a new place that we do not know.

The poem by David Whyte—“The House of Belonging” says it best for me: “There is no house like the house of belonging.” Every soul needs to belong. We look for our sense of belonging in our families, tribes, nations, and friendships. The song we’ve included in the quick links “The House that built me” will make us think back on all the homes that shaped us. Take a look around the Ezine and take your time. Come back to it. Print it. Save it. File it. Share it.

Stephen W. Smith