This is Not My Home

celebrating a shared home (photo added of a late April bday)

Today we are honored.  We are humbled.  And we are thankful.  

There are children running around everywhere, finding Easter treasures in and around the farm.

Youth are mingling in and around the house.  Adults conversing about life.  Babies being passed around.

Our home is full.

I couldn’t help but stand back and watch it all play out.  And it reminded me with a skip of a heartbeat

What a huge and immense joy that is to know and to burrow into the comfort of.  With all of my yearning and striving, finding this place of peace is such a blessing.  Now to cherish these moments, and hold them in my heart for the seasons to come.

We are thankful for a place that we can share.  Where we can fully realize that it is not, indeed, our own.  That we have such an opportunity to serve and give is an answer to prayer!

Around the bonfire this evening, Doug shared the parable of talents.  There were three men.  The first was given 10,000, and invested, doubling his income.  The second was given a lesser amount, also invested, and doubled his loot.  The third was given a yet smaller amount, and buried it, gaining nothing.

This land is not yours, or forever.  For you are strangers and sojourners with me. – Leviticus 25:23

This is a dramatic change from the Summer of ol’.  I am a very sentimental person, and have many attachments to things.  Where I still do, I’ve had to learn the hard lesson (over and over) of letting go.  Most recently, moving from what we thought was our forever farm.  We were heart broken (and scared!) to feel the permanent loss of a dream.  We are ever-grateful for God’s perpetual provision and blessing and reminder that He desires even Better things than we can “plan” for us sometimes.  And we are always always reminded that though our dreams may change, our forever Home will always be the same.

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. – Hebrew 13:14

As we are faced with changes ahead, and with the reminder of the men with talents to invest, we will face decisions very soon.  Hoping to possibly profit from the old farm (perhaps not – we bought at the height of the market), we want to be sure to be good stewards with what we are given, hopefully profiting it instead of ‘burying’ it in our desire for stability and comfort.

Meanwhile, we are thankful for where we are, and that we have been given the opportunity to live out what we have always longed for: An open home and farm life for our family.  We do not believe things of this earth are ours to hold on to, but to share and give.  We have not had the ability to live this part of our life out very fully until now, for which we are immeasurably thankful for.  We hope we invest (in every area of our life) what we’ve been given wisely instead of hoarding.  Because it’s not ours, after all.