in my Father's house...

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

theologians throughout history have expounded on this. but today's post is NOT a study of my Father's house, but a story of what i have experienced in this house.

this past weekend, husband and i hopped on our not-so-private jet for a long weekend visit in arkansas. (for the readers out there who don't know me so well, i am a bi-coastal elitist, who rarely makes an appearance in the "fly-over" states). yes, i said arkansas. the very arkansas whose whole foods store can fit in my 1BR condo in arlington.

i felt odd telling my co-workers that i was going away for the long weekend to arkansas. "what's in arkansas?" exactly, what is in arkansas????!!!???  believe me when i say, i feel you. but it's not what is in arkansas that draws us there. it is who.

you see, in my Father's house, david and i have been loved beyond measure, not only by the Lord Himself, but by fellow believers - believers, for whom dubbing them "close friends" would almost be insulting. because these people, who are so different from me, are family.

david and i don't have any family nearby, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. no blood relations. no moms, no dads, no brothers, and no sisters. in the absence of this kind of family, the boswells and the paynes became our family. they opened their homes to us, opened their hearts, their fridges, their laundry machines, and their spirits. and to be truthful, it is the very last thing - this divine part of them, that makes our kind of family connection deeper than any other kind of familial relationship.

it's rare to find one person to whom you can share your greatest fears and your greatest hopes. it's rare to find anyone to whom you can fully let your guard down and be your truly insane, twisted, selfish, tired, annoyed, grumpy, vulnerable self and still be loved in spite of it all. you're lucky if you find one person who can be this to you. our Father has given us this blessing in spades...

...until a year ago when the boswells and paynes abandoned us and moved away. it was heartbreaking, like a dagger ripping through the heart when these people first told us they were moving, then another dagger when they actually moved. so this weekend, the carlsons and the paynes met up at the boswells and it was a sweet family reunion. it felt just like how going home should feel. but then monday rolled around and we had to say our goodbyes. AGAIN. apparently we are gluttons for punishment. when the hubby and i finally landed in dc last night, we kind of just looked at each other and said, "i'm sad".

so in my Father's house, i have family. and though these family members have moved away, there is opportunity for new family additions. because in my Father's house, there is never a shortage. and that is my experience. 

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