home is where the heart is
written by shannon maupin
The word “home” conjures up different images for everyone. For some it might represent family, friends, fun, food, birthday celebrations, holidays, games and love. Sadly, for others, home can have negative connotations like neglect, sorrow, abuse, abandonment, fighting or fear.
When my husband, Rob, and I got married thirty years ago, I wanted so much to transform our tiny little duplex into a warm, cozy home like something from a Country Living Magazine. I scrubbed and scoured the floors and walls, and arranged and rearranged our hand-me-down furniture and thrift store finds, trying to make our little house feel like home.
In our thirties we moved a lot, but I tried to make every house, apartment, and rental home feel like home as well. I found myself drawn toward a cottage feel because, as ministers and missionaries, I knew we would probably never make a lot of money. I collected unique architectural pieces from garage sales and attics. I even acquired an old metal tienda sign in Mexico (which I have in our kitchen to this day). I pored over Pottery Barn catalogs and tried to recreate their classic, clean look with items I found at Target and flea markets.
When our kids were in elementary school, I got really sick and didn’t have much energy to decorate, entertain or even cook for my family very often, but I still cared deeply that our house felt like home to my family. Around that time I started thinking about what the Bible had to say about homes. I read Bible verses like Deuteronomy 6:6-9 which says,
“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”
I realized what I wanted more than anything was for my children to know that God is faithful, no matter what, so I started trying to fill our house with Bible verses. I started thinking that for me “home” is a place for family, a place you want to be, a place to feel at peace, and a place to be surrounded by God.
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:21, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I’ve wrestled with that verse a lot over the years. I’ve turned it over in my mind like you would a smooth stone in your pocket. It finally started to come into focus for me when we moved back to my home state of Texas eight years ago. I had been SO excited to “move back home,” but when we got here, I found that I still felt out of place at times, our kids still struggled occasionally, and Rob and I still disagreed about things some days. Our problems, loneliness and illnesses didn’t magically disappear when we crossed the border and sang, “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” at the top of our lungs. One day it dawned on me, that’s because Texas is not really my home. Our little house is not our home, no matter how many elegant decorations or yummy candles or comfy pillows I purchase.
I absolutely love to decorate, but I know my real home is heaven. Maybe that’s why we want to create beautiful homes here on earth.
God has placed heaven in our hearts. I pray that as we try to design lovely homes and precious memories here, we can remember to search for, long for, think about and store up treasures in heaven, so that when we finally get there, we will truly feel at home.
-Shannon
About Shannon:
Shannon Maupin has been married to the love of her life, Rob, for thirty years. She and Rob both serve as pastors at Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas. They have two amazing adult children and a wonderful daughter-in-love. Shannon has worn a lot of different hats over the years including: wife, mom, missionary, teacher, youth pastor, and speaker. She loves spending time with her family and friends, cuddling on the couch, watching movies, drinking coffee or Sonic Coke, singing, decorating, and laughing til her face hurts.