They say home is where the heart is, however, in the wake of a global pandemic, it’s also where the majority of us have been told to stay put.

Home.

While it seems everything except for Monday has been canceled, we’ve been stripped down to the people, pets, and possibilities that reside in the walls of our homes. Let’s not miss what’s right in front of us.

Home is your domestic church.

When God wants to get your attention, He has a way of eliminating all distractions. Whether you realize it or not, you have been given an invitation to come home.

Home and family are your first church; the place where your most sacred moments unfold. 

Uncertain times call for a certain hope; the blessed assurance of a kingdom home. So while we’ve been gifted with an extra dose of time in our earthly dwellings, let’s hear the invitation that’s echoed throughout the pages of Scripture from the lips of Zechariah, Malachi, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Joel, Paul, and, most importantly, Jesus.

In the Old Testament, God’s holy voice echoes “return to me”. In the New Testament, Jesus calls out “come to me”. Today, the invitation to come home to the Father and Son still stands in His Holy Word.

Return to me. Come follow me. Come home.

Perhaps this pandemic and the ripple effect it’s had on every single aspect of our daily lives is a modern day parting of the Red Sea in which God is saying…take the first step toward the Promise Land.

Come home.

Yes, you may have to walk through the wilderness to find your way, but I promise God is with you. Take the first step. You have been gifted with time and perspective.

How are we to return?

Get to know your spouse all over again. Hang out with your kids. Call that family member and be the first to apologize. Turn off the television. Go outside and watch the trees worship their Creator. Enjoy eating with nowhere to be. Soak in the sounds of children playing. Practice His presence. Let your painful questions become powerful prayers.  Listen to the leading of the Spirit in the quietness of home and nature.

Come home.

Perhaps home will always be where the heart is. The domestic church where we offer our hearts to Jesus.

*This blog is dedicated to my friend and former mentor, Elaine, who went home to Jesus today after a three year struggle with ALS.