I was driving to work one morning in a bit of a funk. It had been a long and taxing week and I was just feeling a little…blah!
I had my favorites playlist on shuffle when a song pulled me out of my fog. Actually, it was the following line that captured my attention…
“This house is just an address. You’re my home.”
I immediately hit the “back” button to hear the song from the beginning. The song is called “Home” by singer-songwriter Ellis Paul. In it, a husband tells the vivid story of the night their house burnt down. The first verse has him watching his wife dreaming in bed while, unbeknownst to them, smoke was rising in the halls. And by the third verse, the two of them are standing outside like statues watching the roof crash down.
But the song keeps coming back to this chorus…
Home is the woman across the table
Home is dreaming in my sheets
Home…Home
This house is just an address, you’re my home
As I listened to this song, my perspective began to change and my blah gave way to blessing.
How easy it is for us to focus on the pursuit of an address and all the stuff that goes along with it.
- A nicer house in a nicer neighborhood.
- A bigger garage to hold bigger toys.
- Remodeling, landscaping, and upgrades.
- And on and on it goes.
There’s nothing wrong with these things, but they are just part of an address. They aren’t home.
Home is across the table from you. Home is hogging the covers or keeping you awake with their snoring. Home is fussing about your annoying habits one minute and telling you they love you the next. Home is handing you a to-do list then fixing you a drink. Home is the eyes of the one who said “I do,” and still does.
I feel like I shouldn’t have to remind us of this, but home is not the roof over your head, but the people under your roof.
So don’t focus so much on the possessions you own. Focus on the people you’ve been given. They are what makes your house a home, and if you don’t treasure them…all you’ll have is a house.