When I was young, any age over twenty seemed ancient. As I entered my teenage years, reaching thirty looked like a huge milestone. Now I look back at those ages and know that where I am is exactly where I should be. We search, sometimes our whole lives, to find the stage of life where we are happiest. But finding the end of you is lifelong and God-driven if you move out of the way for transformation to happen.
Searching for home looks like the stages of life. When you’re young, it is the place where you begin to dream. It’s a safe place where you lay your head each night. Hopefully, home is where you found the foundation for family and learned the give and take involved in relationships.
After you graduate from high school, you may move to go away to college or enter a season of independence. Home looks different and the community surrounding you has changed. You embrace this temporary resting place as you work on defining who you are.
As time moves forward, home continues to evolve. I find pure delight in those seasons where I lived in a home that I was able to put my fingerprint on. Creating a space that feels like me as well as a space that is inviting to others allows me to grow into becoming the best me.
But, finding the end of you is when what you already know about home mixes with all you learn as you journey through the different seasons of life. Giving yourself space to reimagine your ideas of home along the way only works when God is at the center.
My journey to reimagining home is one that I will continue to explore, but let me leave you with some truths I learned along the way.
- When we reimagine home, we begin to rediscover ourselves. Who we are blends together with what we are becoming and creates a new sense of identity. Our younger self gradually moves out of the way and a clearer picture of home emerges.
- Looking to Jesus first, when understanding home, showed me how He never ignored the knock on the door. Jesus always modeled a spirit of welcome through invitation, peace, and love. His willingness to live among us and die for our salvation empowered us to walk as His disciples.
- Home is the place you feel most like yourself. It is in Christ that we become most fully who He created us to be. But there are times the people we love the most are not present and a piece of us is missing. When our hearts remain open to receiving His love we are made complete in Him. Home is who we carry in our hearts because Christ loved us first.
- Home in the in-between is our journey on Earth until Jesus calls us home. The here and now is temporary because our story is God’s story. I am learning that ultimately I want to live like I’m always headed home.
- Reimagining home opens the door to your heart and makes space for seeing home through the eyes of God. And when you do this work, God aligns each part so finding your sweet spot becomes a reality.
- When you reimagine home, the best part of finding the end of you means you are now home. God has not only opened the doors but invites you to live with Him forever.
[Tweet “When you truly find the end of you, the place you feel most like yourself, then you are home.”]
May you see Jesus in your journey to finding home. His presence fills us with hope and wisdom along the way. Walk toward Jesus and you will always be heading home.
Blessings,
To catch up on the whole home series, click on the button below.
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I love these thoughts, Mary, especially since I’ve lived well over half my adult overseas, far from “home.” But yes, as we get closer to Christ, we’re closer to home. My daughter says home is where she’s happy in herself.
Thank you, Betsy! I’m sure home for you has not been typical since you have lived overseas for so long. I imagine you have identified what home is for you as you have become part of the community where you live. I agree that ultimately it is in Christ we find home. I pray I continue to deepen my relationship with Christ and in turn become who he has created me to be.
I love knowing your daughter’s thoughts too. There is a sense of comfort when we are happy with who we are. Blessings to both of you.
When I was in my twenties, I thought I’d be in such a different place from where I am right now. It’s amazing and crazy how life turns out. But I can say that right now, I am home.
I love that you feel you are home. There must be a sense of contentment and knowing who you are to be able to say that. What a blessing! Thank you for stopping by!
Dear Mary,
This has been such a great series! And I loved this thought: “I am learning that ultimately I want to live like I’m always headed home.” What a hope-filled way to live! Blessings to you as you settle in to your new home!
Thank you, Bettie! I am pretty much settled into my new home. It’s all because of this journey I experienced while seeking my own home that I was able to write this series. More importantly, God gave me the words to express all that I was feeling.
I pray we all live like we are heading home knowing that Jesus is with us the whole way.
Great post Mary.
“When you reimagine home the best part of finding the end of you means you are now home”.
Love this!!
Blessings
I love that God showed me this in my own life so I could share it with all of you. I appreciate you being here and sharing encouragement.
Ah, I needed this today. I imagine myself to be a pretty nice person, but I got called to task today for an unkind action–it was careless unkindness, but unkind all the same. A reminder that I need to continually seek God and HIS goodness (because my ‘niceness’ isn’t that nice).
I need this reminder every day too. I find I can usually say the right things but do not always have thoughts that reflect goodness. Seeking God in all is a great habit to develop. Thank you for being here.
I love the way you said this, Mary: “Finding the end of you is lifelong and God-driven if you move out of the way for transformation to happen.” So true and spoken with such eloquence and inspiration. Thank you, friend, for reminding us to look to Jesus to lead us to our homes in Him.
I appreciate your encouragement. There is something so intimate about seeking our true homes. When we know our identity is in Christ, we have found home and that is so much better than the physical space. May we always live like we are heading home.
Mary, this is really beautiful – the words and the photos! In Christ we are at home, and He is traveling with us on our journey to our final home. What a blessing to know that He can work through us as we learn and share with others! When our identity is in Christ, we are able to become the women we are meant to be. Blessings to you!
Thank you for being here and for your sweet words. It is all about our identity in Christ, isn’t it?? The more we know who we are and how much God loves us the more we can empower others and become who we are meant to be. Blessings to you too!
Mary, such a beautiful post. I love all the ways you’ve examined home through your series. And this post? I pulled so much from it. The idea of home changing as we grow to be more of who God created us to be…as we lose ourselves in the becoming more like Jesus…I. never quite thought about home that way.
Thank you for sharing your sweet, firm truths, my friend.
Home is ever changing for me and even though I have ended this series, I know I am not finished exploring the idea of home. Until I reach my eternal home, I will be open to what God has to teach me. I pray these words got you thinking and that you let God lead you on your own journey of discovering home.
Thanks for sharing your journey and the lessons learned, Mary! This has been a great series. Finding our true home in Christ is so important.
Thank you! I’m blessed you joined me throughout as I explored home. May we all seek Christ and know we are truly ourselves in Him.
Home is the place you feel most like yourself. – Amen! I loved the points your brought to surface here, Mary. They really made me think!
I love that you stopped by. I pray we always find our home with God and know how much He would love for us to be with Him. Love and hugs friend!
Love the challenge to discover HOME. Sometimes we spend so much time wandering we forget the feeling of Home. Grateful He never does 🙂
Thank you for being here! Since I just moved recently after living in the same part of town my whole life, God decided I needed to learn more about home. He is home because it is where we feel most like ourselves. God never forgets our desire to be close to Him and to live like we are always headed home.
I love all these truths you gleaned over the years, Mary. This especially speaks to me – “Home is the place you feel most like yourself. It is in Christ that we become most fully who He created us to be.” Yes! I also love your wise advice of how we need to “move out of the way for transformation to happen.” So true and important. Love and hugs to you!
Your encouragement means so much. God is so good to teach me and show me new truths over and over. This whole home series is a result of me moving into a new house. The process and deep lessons are because God knows my heart and what I need. May we all find the courage to move out of the way for God to do His work in us.
“…finding your sweet spot.” Sometimes I’ve felt most at home on a ski hill, navigating my way down over bumps and around turns. I realize I feel like I’m in my ‘sweet spot’ just then due to being completely present as every sense is firing! And Love is ever present isn’t it? So we can have that sweet spot every moment–no ski hill even required. Thanks for that reminder Mary!
Great analogy! Even though I don’t ski, there are places where I feel like I am most alive too. But you are right – the presence of LOVE is always with us. It doesn’t matter where we are because we are blessed with that beautiful gift. Praying you find your sweet spot in the ordinary routines of life.
Such great truth, Mary. Thank you! Soaking in this wisdom as the physical home is about to change for me.
Thank you, Bethany! I pray you find the perfect new home and in the process find the end of you.
Love this series about home.
Thanks, Debbie! I appreciate you joining me for the series.
Beautiful truth, Mary! And as life shifts and people come and go, with Christ at the center, Home is so much easier to envision and to enjoy.
Life has changed a lot for me but it has only served to teach me more about who I am and how much God loves me. I love how God prepares us for each stage of life to know what home is and how to move forward toward Him. Thank you for following along as I shared about home.
Great post, Mary.
I am finding that as illness proscribes more and more of my life, “home is in the moment”. The question of “who am I?” fades away to be replaced by, “do I love enough?”
And if God is Love, then Love is Home.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/11/your-dying-spouse-401-face-of-despair.html
Good to see you here Andrew! Thank you for sharing what home is to you. Being present in the moment and loving well is wonderful. Praying for you friend!