Home is where the heart is...who is living in yours?

When I remarried almost three years ago, I had the bright idea to rent out my home. The first tenants were complete strangers; so, perhaps not a complete surprise that they left within a few months—short on rent and long on damages. The next occupant seemed a perfect fit. And for almost a year my home appeared to be well-maintained and the rent was on time. I relaxed. Everything looked great from the outside. But, everything hidden eventually comes to light.

When I lived in my little yellow house—the first home I had ever owned—I loved to mow the grass. I looked at it as the perfect opportunity to burn some calories—and reflect.  So, this past weekend I found myself mowing and mulling at my old house. Back and forth across the accumulation of crabgrass and clover, I pushed the mower and recalled how adorable and comfortable my home once was. The grass well-maintained. The backyard a calm and peaceful place to sit and read (except for the barking of the neighbors dogs). Inside, each room was colorful and inviting. Until I allowed other people to take up residence.

Then, over the dull roar of the lawnmower—God.
Gently asking me if I cared as much about the state of my heart as I did about a home.

Isn’t your heart My home? Will you take greater care in deciding who you let into your heart—My home—than you did this house? 

God, you got me.
I asked Jesus into my heart. And Your Holy Spirit lives in me.  You know me. You love me better than anyone. Am I paying as much attention as I should to the condition of Your home?

Mowing right along, I realized that I am now paying the price—financial and emotional—for my inattention to the condition of my home and the character of the tenants who lived there. To make things right, to maintain the value of my property, I will make repairs. But, I will not value a house above the state of my heart.

I have often rented or sublet my heart quite cheaply, with some pretty messy results. But God. BUT GOD!
The God who loves me, who lives in my heart—how many times has He fixed my mess?  Time and again, He has repaired my damaged heart. He has brought healing—made me whole.

God is not an absent landlord. His son paid the price for my heart—and yours—at Calvary. Crazy, right? He owns my heart, yet He enters in only when invited. As I trust in Him, He works to make my heart, His home, larger and more beautiful than I could ever imagine.

Who is living in your heart?

"...Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:17 - 19, NLT)