There is something that I love about having house guests. For one thing it just changes things up a bit and for a second thing, if you have invited someone to share your home then it is someone you have personally chosen. We share our homes with family and friends...and others along who have needed a place to stay....or some place to just hang out for a while. We share in conversation, and snacks and lodging facilities...but when we invite someone to come to our home, we are allowing them to see through a window of our life... that most people don't know about. For home is surely where my heart is and yours is as well. It is the comfort zone that we live in...it is the settling place that we know.
This past weekend, I had, as I said last week, two of my dearest friends and also one of their husbands ....come and stay...a blessing that filled my heart....for sure! We shared stories and memories....but there was just something about them being at my kitchen table...downing the coffee and relaxing without any pretense or formalities. These were friends who knew my past...and my parents and played at my family home. They were they ones who I grew up with....and who grew up with me. And when they came to stay, it was different than just a visit over the phone or meeting for dinner or something. I had welcomed them into "my" comfort zone....and through this window they saw the behind the scenes, the backdrop from which my life grows today. And I get to see them in a backdrop where all masks were dropped...and we were once again in the safety and comfort of a friendship that we had known years ago and continues today even through we seldom see each other. Our lives have changed and have taken us to different cities and on different paths....but the thread of love and fun and trust and remembrances remain in tact.
So much of the time we keep our friends at bay....we give them hints of what we are like and glimpses of what we want them to see...but until there is a trust and safety built up...we maintain a distance. For allowing someone to be a guest in our home is showing a genuine appreciation for the friendship that we share or would like to share. I have a sign that hangs in my kitchen that reads, "Christ is the head of our home. He is the unseen guest at every mean, and the silent listener to all conversations." Christ is the "live in" guest who we ( our family) have invited to share in our daily lives. To live within our home and also in our hearts. He was invited in because of a relationship that we have invested in, and a trust and safety that we embrace through that relationship. He is not only a house guest but a heart guest.
But just as we are careful about who we invite to our homes...so are we careful as to how much we allow God to really see of our lives. Oh he sees everything no doubt....but too many times we try to veer out of his sight and handle things in ways that he would not condone. The thing I am learning about Christ...is the more things I try to handle on my own...the more tangled up things seem to get. It is when I trust Christ to help me make decisions that things seem to be able to be untangled. When I invite him to be a part of my decision making process. and not intentionally push him away and close the doors of my life so that he is not welcome in my room of fun or frolic or schedule making or "private" conversation.
I have to ask...Am I really excited about him coming to stay in my heart home....or am I just inviting him to come and visit a while and then just waiting for him to leave so I can resume my "own" agenda. It sounds frank and rude....but that is often times the way I allow my self interests to take over. We consider our friends to be great listeners, great counselors, great partners, great confidants, and great encouragers, great sidekicks....but how often do we consider the friendship that Christ has offered? I know we can't see him and touch him or audibly hear him....but he is always here with us. He knows about our day....he knows the hurdles we have jumped, the obstacles we have maneuvered around...the people that have made us crazy, and the needs that we have. He sees us when we have been kindhearted, and giving and patience....and he also has seen us when we have lost it. AND he still adores us and wants more than anything to be that BEST friend that we are so dependent on. He wants to be the "go to" friend....and we too many times don't acknowledge his presence....or appreciate the value of friendship that he brings to us each day.
What is it that you look for in a friend....to me it is foremost trust....and honesty. The ability to stand free in who I am without critical judgement....and someone who encourages me to be a better person. Someone who is wise in their ways, steadfast in their values, can find blessings in the midst of strife and who appreciates each day for what it is and what it holds. I want to be that kind of friend...we all do....and we can pull off some of those traits some of the time...but as hard as we try we are not able to be consistent. The only friend who can pull that off without reservation and without blemish is Christ himself. He is the friend master.
Our chosen friends who are here on this earth are merely tangible extensions of the love that Christ has given us....and allowed us to share in. Grateful am I for those precious friends...but oh what a friend I have in Jesus. We each have a handful of precious friends who we love and adore and want so much to spend time with...they are varied....and personal...and are appropriate for who we each are....but Jesus...he is the universal perfect friend who can be in all places, see all things, know all things and still have a personal relationship for all who call on his name.
Do I want him as a lifetime home and heart guest?....my answer is Yes, without a doubt...Do I make sure that he knows how I feel about him? And how much I adore him and depend on Him? Never enough.....for too many times I let the "other" things and people slip into his place of recognition....
Remember that song of old about What a friend we have in Jesus...Just take a minute and read the words....I know you know the tune...but think about what a great friend in Jesus we have.
Words:Joseph M. Scriven, 1855. Scriven wrote this hymn to comfort his mother, who was across the sea from him in Ireland. It was originally published anonymously, and Scriven did not receive full credit for almost 30 years.
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.
Dear Lord what a true friend we have in you....help us to consider you in all our comings and goings and decision making efforts....and not just leave you sitting in the easy chair of your throne watching and knowing that you could be helping in wonderful ways. Make us dependent on your ways....and on your input...for there is where we will learn to be what you have envisioned us to be and to use the gifts that you have given us for your glory. And Lord we do thank you for the precious friends that you have given us on this earth. May we continue to love each other and life each other up unto you. Amen
Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
website:
www.cathyjodeit.com
email address: cjodeit@gmail.com
The blog link below has all devotionals from the beginning of the year:
http://simplygod-cathy.blogspot.com/
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