Home!

A few days ago I enjoyed the opportunity to go home.

Not to the house in Georgia where I live with my husband and two boys but back home to my mother’s house where I grew up and lived for nearly twenty years.

Everyone should have a “safe” place to turn.

Not necessarily a physical structure, or even a destination but a corner of the world where one can retreat and just…be.

We are often called upon to be many thing in our lifetimes. A spouse. A parent. A child.

Employer. Employee.

Supervisor, facilitator, worker bee.

We are often labeled by others and even label ourselves to such a degree it is quite easily to forget who we were created to be.

I can’t always run home to mom when the urge hits me like a hammer, but my Father is always near.

Unlike people, God understands every hurt and pain. He is ever-present waiting for us to ask Him, like a small child, for direction. Why this and not that? God protects. God is patient. I don’t even have to drive for hours to find His understanding.

There is a quote “you can’t go home again.”

I beg to differ.

Yet, home will inevitably change.

What once loomed large is now quite small. What was once so small now towers over you.

Roles change.

Perspective changes.

The things you took for granted can become oh, so precious.

My daddy planted Magnolias in the yard when I was about two years old. They were very small plants when he placed them in the ground. I doubt he ever imagined how tall they would become. They are several stories tall.

He passed away years ago but when I look upon the trees, I can smile.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME B IS FOR BLESSED DEVOTIONAL 2015  Likewise, I planted ivy the year I married and moved out of my parents’ house and it is now everywhere!

I know my mother shakes her head each morning as she walks by it to get the paper. I’ve left a bit of myself (maybe too much!) there in the shadows of trees my father planted.

Just like my physical father, God “planted” things for me and even in me to grow.

Faith. Love. Hope. 

I can smile at the growth from the many “trees” God planted for me now. I didn’t always appreciate the “trials” necessary for them to mature but in hindsight I am so glad He did!

Home is any place where I can just be me.

The “me” God created me to be!

Not a person scrambling to meet the expectations of others. Or, a person failing to meet my own goals and aspirations in what I perceive to be timely manner.

Home is where I can sit and smile and hear God talk to me. Leisurely. Familiarly.

I am grateful I don’t have to travel to God.  He is always near.

What about you? Are you home yet?

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just. Proverbs 3:33 NKJV

By Lilka Finley Raphael

Author, Editor, Gardner, Photographer, Pharmacist

35 comments

    1. You flatter me! And I’m not going to pretend your words didn’t make me smile. What a great way to start my day!

      Deserve a bow? Not hardly. I do try (on most days) to be kind. I’m certainly a bit better at it now than I was some years ago. But like everyone else, I’m just trying to do the best I can where I am.

      By the way your post on Kennedy and King is great bones for a book. Just saying 😉

      Like

      Reply

  2. What a beautiful post Lilka. I really don’t know how to express in words how this touched the depth of my heart. May God bless you for continually being obedient to His “Call” in doing the work of The Lord and being a Woman of God. You are an inspiration to me and I truly love you for it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. How wonderful to go ‘home’ to the place where you grew up and where your mother lives still. I used to feel like that when I visited my mum and family back ‘home’ in England when I lived in California. But ultimately, it is so good to know that whereever we go, ‘home’ is indeed where we can be quite and still before the Lord and hear his voice. Beautiful post as always Lilka, thank you. I hope you have a lovely weekend 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I pray you are having a wonderful weekend Sherri. It is always great to go home and be spoiled by Mom!
      I’ve lived quite a few places but God has been with me every step of the way ever present and brings me “home” no matter my location. Peace and love to you! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. I’m so glad you could go to your home where your earthly father’s trees are and your ivy. I am so sorry for your loss of him and glad that you can find contentment and beauty in the trees he planted. I also found this post to be a wonderful reminder that our Heavenly Father is always with us, sheltering, protecting and nurturing us.
    Thank you for the beautiful post and Spiritual reminder. Your spiritual beauty shines through and your spiritual fruitfulness is so evident in your words and posts. I am praying that you always feel blessed and you know your words are a blessing to others.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Wow. my intent on blogging was to encourage others, yet your words have blessed me so. There are times I wonder why I am up late at night when I should be asleep. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. You have no idea how much I appreciate them. Peace and blessings to you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Your blog is encouraging and a blessing to those who read them. The fact that you can be so encouraging and bless others with your words is that evidence of the fruitfulness you are displaying. I am glad that I could positively reflect that back to you. I will keep you in my prayers for continued blessings for you and that your wonderful words and posts that are God’s light shining so brightly through you will continue to come. I look forward to reading your future posts and am so grateful that I have been blessed with finding a friend like you on here.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’ve been blessed and encouraged more than I give. I’ve met wonderful people here on WP which have blessed me as well. Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. Even though I try to give out a regular dose of inspiration I am very grateful to be on the receiving end as well. Peace and Love to you 🙂

        Like

  6. Yes Lilka, I am home, and there is no better place in the whole wide world to be. I’ve found my home in those same seeds which our God has planted in you, “FAITH, LOVE, HOPE” which ultimately produces “REST”, and that to me is home… until I reach my eternal HOME…
    Thank you for another great post my sister!!!
    LOVE, GRACE, PEACE…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. That place of rest is asential in todays fast pace, ever changing world. I thank God for His mercy in leading me into that place, and pray that He may lead “ALL” those who have not found it yet. It’s a wonderful place to be…it’s home:)

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by and comment. We don’t always recognize what God is planting in us at the time, but He always leaves us better than we were before! B Blessed! 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  12. The home of my family here on earth is not a safe place. However, with God, I’ve always known I’m safe. He didn’t protect me from what happened there, but through His word, I learned He knows the end from the beginning and the purpose of everything in my life. He is my refuge, my rock, my safe place. Thank you, with all my heart; this is the first time I’ve felt like I truly understand this.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Well there, Ms. Judy I guess you are the reason I wrote this because it was not at all what I had on my radar! B Blessed and know that He is ALWAYS our safe place and refuge. Even when it doesn’t “feel” like it, He is there! Peace and blessings to you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to Lilka Raphael Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.