My four adult children live in four different cities and way too far away from DC. This year two children were able to visit for Christmas, and all of them came here several times this year. Recently, I noticed that when they arrive they don’t knock or ring the doorbell. They simply open the door and yell, “Hello.” The simple act of entering without knocking reminds me of earlier times. When I visited my mother and father from college and for that matter as long as they were alive, I simply walked in the front door and announced, “Hello, anybody home?” The thought of knocking never occurred to me. I was “home.”
The “at home” emotion is hard to explain. It is more than a zip code or an address. Feeling “at home” is real serenity. We are comfortable, at peace, and cozy. What is odd about being “at home” is if we try to create it, then it always eludes us.
Being “at home” with ourselves is when we make peace not only with who we are; but also, with whom we were. Being “at home” with God is when we invite him into our lives and allow him to transform us. If we invite God to dwell in us, we will feel at home in our life – anywhere.
During Lent, we work at making sure that God doesn’t need to knock before entering our life. If God feels at home, imagine the serenity we will experience.
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