The Spiritual Dimension of Home: Finding Belonging and Connection

A house provides shelter and protection from external elements. Transforming a house into a home involves considering more than just its essential functional aspects. Making a home encompasses a sense of belonging, emotional connections, and the personal aesthetics of its residents. A home also has a spiritual dimension. A true home is grounded in the values and identity of the people who inhabit it. What foundation supports your house/home?

I don't possess a house or an apartment. Because of this, I miss the security that comes with living in a home I own. Renters are aware that they might be unexpectedly asked to leave a place they consider their "home." Nonetheless, wherever I reside, I have a home, and I'd like to share what I've learned so far about creating a spiritual sanctuary I call a home. 

Throughout the years of enduring various losses—be it financial, relational, or in partnerships—I have come to understand the significance of establishing a solid foundation. For me, the initial step in building a home involved studying and praying over Matthew 7:24-27: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it was founded on the rock. Conversely, everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great.”

I’ve discovered that when I place my full trust and dependence on Jesus, rather than on money, people, or material possessions, I am establishing a sense of security on a solid foundation. From this position, the Holy Spirit guides me in creating a spiritual home, a place where I belong and feel connected with those who form a spiritual family. 

Trusting Jesus with everything might seem philosophical, right? But how do you actually do it? In reality, it's quite practical. I've reached rock bottom multiple times, losing things I depended on, which led me to desperately turn to Jesus. From that point, I would open my heart more, trusting Him for solutions. In return, He would guide me on which unhealthy connections with people and projects needed to be severed, and which people and projects were divine connections worth investing time, effort, and trust in. 

I requested a spiritual blueprint for my house and home from Jesus, and gradually, the Holy Spirit is showing me how to reconstruct it on a solid foundation. Thus, for me, home is more than just a place or location (though it includes both). A spiritual home is a sense of belonging and connection with people who have a calling and purpose in their lives through Christ, and we are united "under the same roof" through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Discovering that God created me to be an artist, for me, as a woman and an artist, building a home involves a personal aesthetics too.

Another war, financial crisis, or some other type of loss could occur, causing a sudden shock and a loss of security. If that happens, I know I can turn to a solid foundation—Jesus—and seek guidance on what to do next. I've done this before and can do it again. The only loss I wouldn't know how to endure is losing Jesus in my life. What loss would you find unbearable? How are you constructing your spiritual home?

“Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” - John 14:1-3 ESV