Thursday Thankfulness ~ Church Home

Have you ever been at the place in your life where you feel like you don't belong...to anything? I've been there. It's not all that fun to be honest with you. There is an innate desire deep within all of us to belong. I believe it's no accident that the enemy loves to make us feel as if we don't belong. I think this is one of his strongest and most used tactics to pull us away from God.


During the time in my life when I felt like I belonged to nothing and no one, I spent my every moment (subconsciously) searching for that one place where I belonged...the one person to whom I belonged. I found where I thought I belonged, but I found myself still searching. Why? What was I searching for? 


God...


You know, hindsight is a pretty funny thing. I became a believer while my husband was deployed. Coincidence? I don't think so...now. I really didn't think much of it then. Looking back, I realize now that God had to remove what my life revolved around in order to get my attention...to rearrange my priorities. And I'm so thankful He did. I found Him. I found my faith. And I found a new family. I found my (then) church home. God brought me to the place where I was to learn the basics of this Christian life. I grew up Catholic and He had to basically erase all that I knew from that and give me a whole new belief system. The church home He brought me to at that point in my faith had (and they may still have) amazing discipleship programs for new believers. It was where I needed to be at the time.


I would love to tell you that we felt the Lord calling us away from that church to another, but sadly, the call of the enemy was the one we heard the loudest. We just kinda started missing a Sunday here and there until eventually we just stopped. Finally, about 2 years later, God gave a word to a dear friend of mine that HE was grieved that I wasn't worshipping with His body...that I was the missing piece of this new church home. (A church I had never been to before!) Again, coincidentally (HA!), my hubby was deployed...and so I went. Oh the first time I walked in those doors!! I knew I was home. And so we stayed...for the next 3 years. Until God called us, via the USAF, to The Falls.


So you can imagine how important it was for us to hear the voice of the Lord about where our new church home would be. We sought and we listened...and we heard. If you'd like to read more about that whole process, check it out here and here.


I feel that it is crucial, especially in these end times, that we meet together and uplift one another. . .and worship our Creator together! I've heard it said that 'going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car' and I would totally agree with that...but I also believe what the Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." So I encourage you, if you don't have a church home, ask God where He wants you to be. If you do have one, take the time to encourage others and make them feel like they belong. I know I like belonging.


Thanks God...


Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3