We all have different perceptions of what a "happy home" should look like, smell like or feel like. Some may have wanted a two-parent household. Some might have this televised version of a stay-at-home parent baking goodies, packing lunches and carpooling them to school. But for many, the reality was quite different. Unfortunately, children don’t have a vote in the matter. They don’t get the luxury of opting-out of poverty, single parent homes and dysfunctional relationships, so they learn to survive.
Then those same broken kids become broken adults, who spend their entire lives trying to recreate that imaginary space of a perfect household that doesn’t exist. So in turn, we buy our kids "things" to compensate for what we lack. We justify doing the wrong things for the right reasons. We want our kids to have a better life; but sometimes, we set them up for failure by creating a superficial system of entitlement that the real world doesn’t offer. Then we find ourselves "burned out" because our efforts never quite measured up to their warped expectations.
We enslave ourselves to overwhelming debt to fill voids because our hearts don’t fully comprehend that wholeness is not found in the tangible, not even the home.
We dress up our calamities with the mask of disguise to put on a front that our priorities are in tact for people that genuinely don’t like us.
We become so consumed with lack and burdens that we never reach anything familiar to satisfaction.
Trust me, I’m not judging anyone’s struggle. I think I could’ve written the struggle manual (to be honest)! I don’t have it all together. In fact, my life is far from fool-proof. I fall flat on my face daily. It is only through God’s grace and mercy that I find the strength to stand in spite of what it looks like or feels like. I find peace in knowing that this is not my ultimate destination.
Even in all my tumultuous emotions, God reassures me....
It doesn’t matter what side of the track you grew up on.
It doesn’t matter that your foundation was faulty or cracked.
It doesn’t matter what you lacked.
It’s all about what’s made "available" to you on today. Even when man, parents or friends fall short, God stood in the gap and made the provisions.
Your "rightful place" is not found in the things or the people of this world. This is not our permanent home. We are not destined to stay here forever.
In all that, I say, "Be encouraged," in spite of what’s going on in your temporary home. Don’t let a difficult moment disrupt your momentum. You were graced to go the distance.
We all strive to hear, well done my good and faithful servant when we reach our real home--our permanent place of rest.
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