As usual, I and my family have ben struggling with various issues related to the home, authority, finances, relationship, etc. Most of us do. Well ...
This morning, the following phrase from the end of Psalms 23 started replaying over and over in my distracted male brain until it finally got my attention:
"... and I shall dwell in The House Of The LORD forever!"
What struck me is that it isn't MY house!!!
It is, forevermore, my HOME. The place where I belong. Now. Not just in a sweet by-n-by. But it is not and never will be the house that belongs to me! Same distinction as between "her own" and "his own" in 1Cor 7:2. It does and always will be God's house.
This promptly brought about a relaxing of something within me that I hadn't realized was tense. If it is GOD's house, then HE is ultimately responsible for it. He may give me a variety of chores to do, and I must do them. But HE is ultimately responsible for maintaining it, providing for it, determining who may and does live in it, what are the rules of decorum, etc.
Yes, there is a chain of command and provision that runs down through husbands to wives to kids. But we men aren't left out there hanging with our responsibility. We can kick things upstairs and ask for the actual owner to get involved. It's His House.
This morning, the following phrase from the end of Psalms 23 started replaying over and over in my distracted male brain until it finally got my attention:
"... and I shall dwell in The House Of The LORD forever!"
What struck me is that it isn't MY house!!!
It is, forevermore, my HOME. The place where I belong. Now. Not just in a sweet by-n-by. But it is not and never will be the house that belongs to me! Same distinction as between "her own" and "his own" in 1Cor 7:2. It does and always will be God's house.
This promptly brought about a relaxing of something within me that I hadn't realized was tense. If it is GOD's house, then HE is ultimately responsible for it. He may give me a variety of chores to do, and I must do them. But HE is ultimately responsible for maintaining it, providing for it, determining who may and does live in it, what are the rules of decorum, etc.
Yes, there is a chain of command and provision that runs down through husbands to wives to kids. But we men aren't left out there hanging with our responsibility. We can kick things upstairs and ask for the actual owner to get involved. It's His House.
