Home at 2 am

Decorating a house to make it more a home has been my mantra since day 1 of married life.  Some decorations have been simple clay pots while others are fancy mirrors reflecting the beautiful tropical sunshine.  Colorful stripes on the wall, stenciled winding ivy and welcoming signs make me happy to share my home with others. 

Moving into house #9 on street 5 brought much excitement.  An all white house stood on the corner with many nearby unoccupied lots full of green banana trees, passion fruit vines while this yard was full of corn stalks and bean bushes.  Little by little we pulled plants from the yard to plant grass, painted the inside plain gray walls and hung colorful curtains around each window.  After one month, most items were organized and all who came to our door could see happiness lived here.

As the sun began to set there were no streetlights to shine on the few houses and unpaved roads.  Darkness was setting in.  Trees were blown by the wind and joined loudly in song with rain dropping on the tin roof.  There was something soothing about these sounds and sleep quickly came. At 2 am everything changed. 

A young man made his way into our yard, climbing the iron bars covering the dining room window to reach the back porch.  The second window was easily slid open to reveal a way into the house undetected.  Evidence of his search for goods was left behind in every room throughout the downstairs and the upstairs office.  Lastly he opened the door to our bedroom. 

The robber moved quietly across the bedroom with eyes fixed on the wallet sitting on the dresser; therefore not seeing the plastic blinds sticking out from under the bed.  Thwack!  His one wrong step woke my husband.   He thought was hearing me walking towards the bathroom but nothing was further from the truth.  A quick grab for the bat sitting next to our bed changed the atmosphere.  My husband tore out of bed to chase this young man across the upstairs.  He watched the robber jump from the second story balcony with such athleticism down into the back yard and spring over the wall into the dark street. 

Confusion surrounded me as I was jolted awake.  Why are the lights on?  What noise was that?  How did things get so messy around here?  Questions swirled around my foggy brain and then a huge wave cleared it all.  There had been a robber in our bedroom!  The empty wallet challenged the need to pay the rent the following day.  The torn envelope showed there was no money to go food shopping. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, holding my trembling hand in his and the bat in the other, my husband said, “We should pray.”  He calmly thanked God for His protection and safekeeping in the middle of a situation where things could have gone terribly wrong. 

It was time for me to pray.  Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and quoted verses from Matthew chapter 6 verses 19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What?!  This is not what I mean to pray.  How did this slip out?  Then I listened to my voice as I prayed for the salvation for the robber.  His actions reflected a void in his life that forced him to steal.  What this young man needed was the joy and hope only found in salvation through Jesus Christ.  My spirit was trying to balance the terrible reality of what had just taken place and the truth taught in Scripture. 

How did these words from the book of Matthew come to my mind? 

When I attended a Christian middle school, we memorized Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7. It was challenging and hard work to memorize all those verses.  These words were rehearsed, frequently teachers reviewed the principles but most importantly my teachers, and coaches and mentors lived these words out before me.  Little did they know that 14 years later on a dark stormy night, the truth of scripture would once again challenge my mind. 

When the word Amen was spoken and I tightly hugged my husband because my heart learned something new about the work of the Holy Spirit.  John 14:26 says, “…the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  Yes indeed He does! 

When an intruder shatters the peaceful feel of home, the heart may question, “What makes a house a home?”  My life experiences teach me how decorations, paint colored walls and curtains can make a house nice, but it becomes a home when everything within the four walls reflect time well spent on heavenly treasures. 

How has the Holy Spirit reminded you of heavenly-home treasures?

Lean in...memorize scripture to build your home.