By Zoe Cannon
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24: 3-4
The home should be a place of peace where family and friends are loved and welcomed. Jesus told the disciples, “Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household’” (Luke 10:5). Do you welcome God into your home with daily prayer and intentional requests for protection and love for all who enter?
This sanctuary may be a place you have lived in for decades, or it might be a place of new beginnings. The material furnishings come and go as we keep up with style and comfort. It is also a natural progression for the people living in the house to change over time. The start of a new school year is a reminder that transition is constant in our lives. The month of August was like Christmas at our house with all the shopping for back to school preparation. The new beginnings of the first day of school are more like New Year’s Day than January 1. I am always sentimental during this time of year, and I get emotional when school supplies appear in the stores. I sure miss those days!
I recently attended the funeral of a very loved ninety-year-old, and stories were shared from family, friends and neighbors all describing great memories of a distant past. The conversations were about safe neighborhoods, where children played outside all day, moms were home to comfort hurts, and neighbors would visit with a cup of coffee. Meals were shared and playing cards was an evening activity for adults, while kids chased fireflies in the yard. IPhones and social media were not the main attraction, or the biggest distraction, as the case may be today. People rarely locked their doors, and a “Ring” video doorbell was not needed to keep an eye on the coming and going of your front yard. Do you miss those days?
Change and new technology may create convenience, but the one true need in our lives is trust in a loving God. Our changing society has affected peace in the home, goodwill in the public sphere, and foremost on my mind these days, the protection of our children everywhere! From the unborn to the young adult on a college campus, the gift of human life and the responsibility to educate and care for people in all phases of life is harmfully changing. How will future generations reminisce about these days?
It is not productive to bemoan the past, and accepting the destruction of goodness is not helpful for the future either. Tough conversations about the challenges we face as people of God are important. People are comfortable sharing wonderful things about those who are no longer with us, but taking the time to let people know they are special today could make all the difference in who they become, or how they behave. Be the person you needed when you were a kid!
There are amazing moms, dads, grandparents, family members, teachers, ministers, priests, friends, neighbors and even strangers who serve, protect and educate our children every day. Pray for them and support their efforts with great intent. We are living in a precarious time, beyond anything ever imagined, with an ideology that is offensive to God’s plan for creation. But, remember, if God is for us, nothing can be against us! People of faith founded our country, and people of faith will continue to protect the morals and values of the United States of America. This is your land, your home, by understanding it is established; by knowledge the world is filled with precious and pleasant riches. Protect life, and may your home be peaceful! Amen!