Home

"My home is not a place; it is people" (L.M. Bujold).

"For the Lord your God is God of gods, and the Lord of lords, the Great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him" (Dt. 10:17-20).

I don't think there can be any doubting the Father's love for the fatherless, the homeless, the widow, and the stranger. We don't have to look far to see many of God's people engaged in ministries and organizations that provide mentoring for youth, shelter and food for the homeless, community and support for widows, and and advocacy for foreigners. Christians have long been at the forefront of these causes.

Followers of Christ should be on the frontlines, turning things upside down that they may be right side up.

There are a lot of wonderful organizations doing God's work. I wonder just how much more the issues of homelessness and fatherlessness could be diminished by the church if more and more of our families would begin to open up their homes and welcome these strangers. There is tremendous power to transform lives through something as simple as an open home. Now, more than ever, the curse of isolation and aloneness is all around us. Giving "home" to someone couldn't be more right in my opinion.

This isn't easy for those of us who have been culturally conditioned to believe that our home is our refuge and castle. It is difficult for us to stop believing that our lives are somehow diminished by including others in it outside of working hours. For many of us, the increased risk that comes with opening home and life to others is too much to ask.

There is risk.

But what is love without sacrifice? What have we gained from believing that we own everything, that our house belongs to us and not God? There is much to be gained from giving home and family to those without. The inclusion of others enriches our lives and also increases our capacity to love, empathize, and care as we experience the joy of letting people in. We will find that every day carries with it a sense of purpose and satisfaction in knowing that we are participating in something that is very close to the Father's heart.

And it is the right thing to do!

In the face of so much aloneness, there is a tremendous need for believers to practice generosity and hospitality on such a different level than we have been used to in the past. God's people have the ability to make things right for so many.

It's a matter of choice that we don't.