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STUCK WITH YOU

There is no other place where people’s weaknesses are as exposed as at home. My children know that I would likely tell them a story that they have heard hundreds of times yet again. Just as I know that my daughter becomes cranky when there is no leftover food in the fridge when she wakes up. Or that my husband changes the television channel at least twelve times during each advertisement break. And yet we never doubt that our home will always be home.

When David longs to stay in his Father’s house forever, he knows that it is the one place where he will never be rejected. “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (Psalm 27:10, NLT). And David was no stranger to rejection. His father Jesse did not even consider him as an option when Samuel came looking for the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16). In fact, it almost seems like he forgot about David there for a moment. In today’s era of psychology, I am sure that David would have qualified for therapy and a few happy pills.

Centuries later, Jesus experienced the same thing in His family. Despite the teaching and miracles He did in Nazareth, his family still rejected Him. “Then Jesus told them, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives in his own family’” (Mark 6:4, NLT). I can almost feel Jesus’ hurt when we read that “He was amazed at their unbelief” (v. 6).

The difference is that Jesus knew that He was the Heir of a much greater Household. And He wants to share it with us, His brothers and sisters. “‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit” (Matthew 21:42-43, NLT).

Do you have a negative perception of home due to rejection by a family member? How does it make you feel that there is no rejection in our home with Christ?

Let us rest in our Father’s home where there is complete acceptance. Let us not allow earthly rejection rob us of our heavenly Home. “For the Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever” (Psalms 37:28, NLT).