Make Yourself at Home

by Stan Hammonds

Have you ever visited someone for the first time and been told to make yourself at home? The host utters these words with a desire of helping the guests feel more relaxed in their new environment. The assumption is that people feel most at ease in their own homes, so a request for them to make themselves at home is simply a way to help them feel comfortable. After all, nobody likes to feel uncomfortable in his or her surroundings. However, for a Christian, there can be danger in becoming too comfortable in this world.

The old adage, “home is where the heart is,” points to the fact that most people have a strong affection for their homes. A great example of this is when someone returns from vacation. It seem that no matter how wonderful the trip may have been, no matter how great the adventure was, people usually follow their description with the disclaimer, “but it sure is good to be home!” You see, although they enjoyed the time they spent on vacation, it wasn’t home because it was not the location of their emotional devotion; and this is where the danger comes in for Christians.

As human beings, we spend our entire lives completely surrounded by the trappings, both harmless and harmful, of the temporal world. On the harmless side, we spend time on family, school, work, hobbies, sports, etc. Although they may not cause harm in and of themselves, they do take up a lot of our time and energy. On the harmful side of things, we can spend time fulfilling the more base physical urges—the pursuit of sex, drugs, money, fame, etc.

Therefore, there is a distinct possibility we can become so caught up with the carnal aspects of our lives that we begin to “feel at home” here in this world. It’s as if Satan, the “host” of this world, invites us to make ourselves at home here, and we take him up on the offer. However, to echo the words of the old hymn, “this world is not our home, we’re just a passing through.”

The Apostle Peter, in I Pet. 2:11, emphasizes this point by referring to Christians as pilgrims and sojourners. The Hebrew writer said that God’s followers throughout history recognized this fact, which caused them to seek their true home (Heb. 11:13-17). In addition, Paul, in Col. 3:1-2, encourages us to have our minds set on heavenly, instead of earthly, things.

So, the challenge for us is to live in this world, but not feel at home here. How can we do this; how can we appreciate all the blessing of this life, but keep our focus on what lies beyond? The answer goes back to the thought that home is where the heart is. In Mt. 6:19-21 Jesus compares our priorities to treasure. He ends the thought by saying, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If our hearts and minds are on the things in this world (even if they are important things like family and work) then that is where we will feel most at home. Conversely, if we focus our energies on thoughts and actions that look toward eternity, then we will never feel truly at home in this life.

Therefore with Jesus’ words as the measure of our view of “home,” all that is left is for us to evaluate where our treasures are. One way to do this is to ask ourselves questions like, “Do I spend most of my time with Christians or with nonbelievers?” or “How much time and energy do I spend on Bible study?” or “Do I let worldly things get in the way of spiritual responsibilities?” If we answer these questions honestly, we should know our true devotions.

As Christians, we must never succumb to the temptation to feel at home in this world. Instead we must be like Paul (Phil. 1:21-24) and view life as a short journey that will ultimately bring us home. If we are successful in keeping our hearts focused on spiritual things, then at the end of our lives we can honestly say, “I really enjoyed the trip, but it sure will be great to go home!”