Home is where the heart is…


Stepping outside as I leave work I can look up in the sky and in the dark night all I see is a black sky with beautiful stars. I can exhale and see my breathe. Looking down I see rocks, I see sidewalks, I see other people, I see buildings, there is a place to eat, a place to use the restroom. I have a place to rest my head, a place to do my job, I have a chair to rest in, there is a gym, there is a shopping mini-mall and most importantly I have my military family. You know it almost sounds as if I'm home. All those things I have at home and yet I have them in this country as well. However I am not home, where am I? I'm in Iraq fighting a war that most don't agree with, however I see the families here and how they have suffered. I see Iraqi's that want to live in a free society. I see people who want to succeed. There are third country nationals that make something like $35.00 a day just so they can send the money home. They live on hardly nothing and then you see what we pay KBR in excess of $150,000 just to watch the ones making $35.00 a day. The TCN's left home, everything they know to provide for their families. Well in a sense so did I. I left my home to join my military family so that my family can live in a free society without fear that terrorist breeds. Now do I miss my home? Of course I do, but as we are told in the bible our home on earth is only temporary…

Have you ever seen a young child go to school for the first time. As a parent you are so worried for them, their world just got bigger. As a parent you worry about so many things for this child because they are no longer under your roof all day. Now this child must face some of the world alone with out you. They must start making decisions that could affect their lives forever. They are no longer home, they are out in the world to experience the best that God has provided. So as our children leave our home to do things in the world we worry about them. We wonder if we've done enough to provide them with enough intelligence to make it. So that leads me to think about what God thinks about us for we are his children.

Now open your bible and read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Ok I'm going to be honest I had to re-read the first 5 verses like 8 times. It seem as if the meaning is sometimes hidden but yet so obvious. In verse one we read about how if our earthly tent is destroyed we have a heavenly home waiting for us that God built. That verse alone should be very comforting as we live our lives that no matter what we have an ultimate plan. We have that necessary goal we need to live the life on this earth. As long as we clothe ourselves with Christ and do what we ARE suppose to be doing then we really have nothing to worry about. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and wondered, "how did I get myself into this mess"? Take for example money problems, arguing with your significant other more, drinking, etc, etc. You lived in the body when the bad things happened. Not to say that bad things don't happen to good people, but for the most part the consequences we live through are caused by the decisions we make. Look at 2-4 and ask yourself when do I cry for Christ to clothe me. If you thank about me being here in Iraq, when you inprocess Qatar before you fly into Iraq you get your body armor. Now this is a joke for real. Think about it for a minute it covers your chest and your back but nothing else. I'm suppose to feel secure with it on. So essentially there are multiple holes in this "body armor". However Christ gives us a full body armor if we place our full trust in him. Now in verse 5 I feel a great deal of comfort in this promise. God has given us the Spirit as a deposit for our future. All we have to do is put our complete faith in him.

I believe most of us are confident we can do our job, now that doesn't mean we are confident that we can do it well but we can do it. We received training and go forth to follow those directions. If someone can't get on the network here at Kirkuk I step up and trouble shoot why they can't. That is part of my training. Now if we take what the Lord tells us and we do it as he has told us, shouldn't we feel confident that he will not only lead us but bless us. Verse 7 says,"we live by faith, not by sight", living in the body is living by what we see. As Christians we must focus on the unseen, the things that most folks have trouble putting their faith in. Are you confident to live outside the body, to give up the control, to due the will of the father? Are you making your life a goal to due His will? In verse 10, it's a reminder that Jonathan isn't going to judge you, your preacher, father, pastor, rabbi, or anyone else for that matter isn't going to judge you. It's also a great reminder that we will receive what is due us whether it's good or bad. We have so many choices in life, so many chances to do the right thing.

So I ask you are you at home? Are you at home in the body, or are you wanting a chance at that eternal home in heaven? Home is such a broad subject when you open a bible to discuss it. I didn't know where I was going with this home sweet home devotion. I'm so happy with what I've written and that I took the time to read the scripture on this. It has opened my eyes to His teachings. If anyone ever asks me where my home is, the answer is always the same, it's whereever I lay my head. The reason I say that is because the Lord is always with me, He is always listening, He is always giving me the strength, and He's promised to never give me more than I could handle. So with that there is hope that I can get through anything that life will throw at me, including the dangers of IRAQ. I hope this devotional finds you doing well with the strength and courage that is needed to live your life in today's world.

Post edited by: jbhookup25, at: 2008/02/27 11:32