A Home Without a Home

The Bible tells women to be "keepers at home" (Titus 2:5). Of the many things I do, I consider that my most important "job" because the Bible places a high priority on a woman's role in the home. 

Bill and I have not lived in our own home since 1998. We have seen the inside of more motels, guest rooms, and evangelist's quarters than I can remember. We have stayed in very nice places and a few places I wish I could forget! We have packed and unpacked and moved from place to place so much that transition has become a way of life. 

I would be lying if I said that there were not times that I wished for my own home, my own bed, my own privacy, my own routine. When Bill served as pastor in Milo, Maine, we stayed in a parsonage. And when we go overseas, we stay in our own apartments much of the time, although some of the conveniences that we are used to in America are conspicuously absent there. (Try no on-demand hot water, for one.) I have been immensely, indescribably grateful for our RV, which - while it is not a "home" in the traditional sense of the term, has provided us with our own shower, our own bed, and our own tiny stove! We are not always able to use our RV, depending on what the Lord has us doing at the time, but it has made being on the road so much more manageable. 

So…how does a woman be a "keeper at home" if her "home" is a hotel room for three nights, then a room in someone's home for a week, then another motel room…? How does a woman fulfill God's purpose without an actual home of her own?

The answer is actually quite simple. A "home" is not comprised of stuff. You know, a sofa, sink, and silverware. It is made up of people. People will always be more important than things. For me, since I do not have children, my "home" is my husband and I. The secret to a happy home is not found in nice things, although it is comfortable to have nice things. The secret is found in carefully cultivated relationships.

A "keeper" is a guard, one who protects. As a "keeper at home," my job is to protect the relationships in my life - in this case, my marriage. Others would include children in their equation.

Whether we have a lot or a little, a traditional lifestyle or a transient one, relationships are much more important than physical possessions. It is vital that we guard our relationships so that nothing or no one creates a wedge between us (Mark 10:9). We must always guard our hearts against bitterness, infidelity, criticism and a myriad of other traps that want to destroy our "homes" - our relationships.  

I have learned many lessons during the years since we lived in our own little 1,060-square-foot "castle" on 1060 Main Street. One of the most important lessons is that it is possible to have a "home" without a home. As long as I have Jesus and a healthy marriage, I am never "homeless!"