Our first home was in the comfort of our mother’s womb. And we had everything we needed. There were no tears or sorrow, only perfect peace. Our birth gave us a newfound freedom and strength – givers of life and no longer just the recipient. While we readily embrace this responsibility, part of us still longs for home again.
God gives us a glimpse of reality through our mothers. Mothers reflect God’s total support and unconditional love. They would take care of every problem their child faced if they could. And we need these regular reminders – that God’s love, care, and provision will ultimately satisfy us like a baby at his mother’s breast.
We were created to receive this type of loving embrace, and yet we’ve been also called to enter the world to offer our strength. While God provides us with tender care, he will also treat us as men, which includes much necessary suffering to grow and eventually offer our life to others.
Our challenge is to not become so hardened that we can no longer receive God’s love, or so soft and needy that we are ineffective in the work he’s called us to do. And, perhaps more than this, it’s simply remembering our need for home.
Eve and Beauty rightly give us glimpses of the deeper desires our souls are longing for. But we risk making these idols when we’re not able to see them as mere reflection of God’s glory. And this explains many of our obsessive habits, distractions, or desires to just numb ourselves out. We’re longing for home – a place we can rest and be recharged without more being required of us. This is a good desire that too often gets misdirected.
In the end, our first home was in the comfort of our mother’s embrace. And it’s a peace we long for still today. Learn to see this desire for what it is – ultimately drawing you back to God who is our true home.
Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash
