Keeping A Nest (No Matter Where Life Has You)

nest (n): a snug retreat or refuge, a resting place, a home.

Your nest is your home. Your nest may consist of  you, you and your spouse, you, your spouse and children, you and a roommate, you and extended family members...oh, the options are really endless. It matters not who dwells there, what matters is how you keep it and seek to serve one another in the place each person has chosen to call their haven.

My father-in-love has always held to the rule that for his wife and children, their home is their haven. No matter what problems the world throws at them, no matter who is against them, they know that they can come in, shut the door behind them, and rest in the love and security that is found inside the home that has been made for them. It is a place where they can put down their guard, talk freely, love freely and enjoy being a family with no worries of ulterior motives surrounding conversations. For me, it is a perfect definition of a nest. It is a retreat, refuge and resting place.

Keeping a nest is not about keeping a spotless home, keeping a nest is not about cooking a fancy 4-course meal for the neighborhood, keeping a nest is not about remodeling or decorating to today's standards and keeping up with those infamous Joneses. Keeping a nest is about creating a place that you feel is the most condusive to serving your family and others in your community as needs may arise. Keeping your nest is about being willing to throw random leftovers in the oven and have a "spontaneous potluck" all because it means that you get a special unexpected meal with your family and friends to share with one another what life is for you at this point. Keeping a nest is about much more than bricks and mortar. It's about relationships and serving one another. We are called to serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13) Let us strive toward this goal together, because no matter what path life has us going down, service is always in season.

I do hope you'll follow me on my journey as I learn how to better "keep our nest" and strive to serve others in love as our Father in Heaven loves us.