*Affiliate links used in this post.
Today’s post is part of Kate Motaung’s “Heading Home: Together” series. Kate (host of Five Minute Friday) is a dear friend and talented writer. She is releasing her first book into the world, A Place to Land: A Story of Longing & Belonging.
Here is my official endorsement:
An honest, beautifully-written book that maps out a story of longing for home in the tailwinds of uncertainty and loss. More than the account of one woman’s journey, this is for all of us who ache for solid ground in between “what if” and “now what.” From the tulip-lined streets of Holland, Michigan, to the vibrant coastline of Cape Town, South Africa, you will land closer to the hope of your eternal home as you unpack Motaung’s moving memoir.
Christ at Home in My Heart
For years I lived like I was still a slave in Egypt. Deliverance from the bondage of sin had occurred, yet I did not walk in the fullness of spiritual freedom. I had been released from the shackles of sin, yet I did not live like it was true.
I strove and spun to swirl up a cyclone of blessings, as if my behavior could lasso God’s gaze or control His hand. Share on X
But after forty years, my wandering encountered the Promised Land. It had been there all along yet my eyes had not clearly seen it; this land of Grace. Its name was familiar yet its reality was foreign, until a dusty revelation in my living room revealed what I’d been striving to grasp.
It’s like I was frantically picking up clutter before company arrives. Trying to make myself presentable through a dizzying display of tidying up. And then suddenly I came to—the brain fog cleared as I turned around to see the reality I had overlooked. Right there in my living room, with the orange shag carpet, was Jesus. There He sat, in a recliner, as if He lived there. And then I remembered, He did live there!
Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV)
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Jesus residency was the home of my heart.
I had invited Him in years ago, but in my misguided theology, that I needed to earn (and keep) Jesus happy through works, I had buried this important truth: He wasn’t company I needed to impress, He was family to enjoy.
Keep reading over at Kate’s place as we unpack this thought further…
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*If you choose to make a purchase through the links shared in this post, I may be compensated at no additional cost to you.