Month: August 2024

My Home Is God

Gary and I spent six years in Germany thanks to the U.S. Army.  Our youngest son was born there.  It was a wonderful time for us in many ways in that beautiful country.  But I will admit that when we came home to the States on visits, and then finally to stay, we felt a huge sense of relief.  We had a home in Germany but back in America we were HOME.  We knew the language, we understood the culture, and our family was near.

I’ve been reading in the book of Hosea about how Israel kept rejecting God’s best for them.  They kept looking to the nations around them as examples they should follow.  Therefore, they participated in gross false worship and many other sins against God.

In Hosea 8:9, God said they had gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone.  Like the donkeys, Israel was restless in her sad and useless search for a god to worship and for a life of meaning. They kept rejecting the answer that was there for them all along…God Himself.

Don’t we see this attitude all around us today?  So many are searching for meaning in life but not wanting to turn to the only One Who can give them purpose and meaning.  

We all know how sad our world is today.  So many are devoid of hope and peace so they turn to whatever their Assyria is.  Abortion.  Drugs.  Sexual perversions.  Gender dysfunction.  

Or maybe our wandering hearts turn to more benign diversions, ones that seem ok.  A good job.  Money.  Getting ahead.  Sports.  Entertainment.

But still, deep in our hearts, we are unsettled.  We know there is more.  And after this life…what then?

God has put this desire for peace in our hearts for a reason.  That reason is so we will search for Him.  

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”   (Jeremiah 29:13)

God loves us.  God loves YOU.  

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

Believe in Him and accept His gift of salvation through Christ alone.

            My Home is God Himself; Christ brought me there.

            I laid me down within His mighty arms;

            He bore me where no foot but His has trod,

            Within the holiest at home with God,

            And bade me dwell in Him, rejoicing there.

            O Holy Place!  O Home divinely fair!

            And we, God’s little ones, abiding there.

            My Home is God Himself; it was not so!

            A long, long road I traveled night and day,

            And sought to find within myself some way,

            Aught I could do, or feel to bring me near;

            And then I found Christ was the only way,

            That I must come to Him and in Him stay,

            And God had told me so.

            And now my Home is God, and sheltered there,

            God meets the trials of my earthly life,

            God compasses me round from storm and strife,

            God takes the burdens of my daily care.

            O Wondrous Place!  O Home divinely fair!

            And I, God’s little one, safe hidden there.

            Lord, as I dwell in Thee and Thou in me,

            So make me dead to everything but Thee;

            That as I rest within my Home so fair;

            My soul may evermore and only see

            My God in everything and everywhere;

            My Home is God.    (Author unknown)

God is waiting for you.

Come home today.  

Important Uncle Aaron

It’s been way too long since I’ve given an update on Aaron in his life role of being Uncle Aaron.  All in all, Aaron has made great progress.  But our road with Aaron is never without some bumps…or sometimes potholes!

Ryker is now 19 months old.  He is talking and showing more of his cute personality.  Aaron is fascinated with this and is showing more interest in Ryker, which we all thought he would do once Ryker had a few more months under his belt.  Aaron sees him more now as a little fellow human and not just a strange little baby. 

Aaron loves giving Ryker food or toys, and Ryker is very happy to receive them.

Yet when he tries to get Uncle Aaron’s attention to get a response from him, Aaron doesn’t know what to do, so he doesn’t do anything.

 Aaron’s lack of response to Ryker is very similar to how Aaron reacts so often to us when we get a little too close for comfort, like wanting a hug from him or a confirming verbal response.  Aaron will often back away from anything that makes him show too much emotion, especially if it’s on our terms and not his.  

Aaron likes to show Ryker his special items, like these rocks that he wanted Ryker to see.

Ryker especially loves Uncle Aaron’s room because it’s full of all sorts of cool things to touch and pick up and pull or throw…sometimes to Uncle Aaron’s delight and sometimes to Uncle Aaron’s dismay.  But it really makes Aaron feel special to see how much Ryker loves his bedroom.  

However, despite all the progress Aaron has made, this little fellow human can still sometimes make Aaron feel like he has been displaced in our home and our lives.   

“Ryker takes away my importance with Mom,” he said to a friend one day.

It’s a very telling and heart-rending statement from Aaron.  He truly has had so many adjustments to make as he learns to share his life…our lives…with this new little member of our family.  

We all assure Aaron that his place in our family has not changed one bit.  I have told him that love isn’t divided; it’s multiplied many times as God brings new people into our lives.  A friend told me that her family has talked about how our hearts grow bigger as we have more people to love.  We don’t push anyone out, we just grow bigger hearts to make room for more people to love.

Aaron listens to these words, but he still struggles with wanting to be the center of attention.  When Ryker gets more attention, then Aaron feels like Ryker is more important in our lives.  It’s a fine balancing act for all of us.

Kyle, Andrea, and Ryker came over a few days after Kyle had returned from being at sea for 3 months.  For two solid hours, they both gave as much of their full attention to Aaron as they could.  This included getting on the floor to put stickers in Aaron’s sticker book with him.  And listening to Aaron talk literally non-stop about all his interests.

Their understanding and patience with Aaron mean the world to us. 

We all see that Ryker, even at his young age, is looking at his Uncle Aaron in a way that shows he is already trying to figure out what makes him tick.  He’s trying to say Aaron’s name and the other night, after Uncle Aaron gave one of his loud claps, Ryker did the same with his sweet pudgy hands.  

We all gave each other knowing smiles.

Ryker will have a front row seat to Aaron’s world and with it will come the invaluable knowledge that special Uncle Aaron is really a very extraordinary gift from God.  

Despite the potholes in our family road, I believe Ryker will be all the richer for having his special…and important…Uncle Aaron in his life.  

And I also believe that Aaron’s heart will continue to grow and grow because of his little nephew that made him Uncle Aaron.