Those Who Take The Time To Abide In Love Are Always Home

by Eric Elkin

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

— John 15:9

We got home later than expected from a visit to a place that was once home to our family. By the time we got to our house, there was little energy left to reflect on all the thoughts running through our minds. The trip was beautiful, emotional, and exhausting. But as I sit here processing the last few days, I find myself lingering on a question. What does home mean?

This past weekend, we visited a small community in central Pennsylvania where I once served as pastor. I returned to officiate a wedding of a young woman who was only 5 years old when we left. The warmth of the experience was definitely aided by the rich green growth of the trees and grass of Pennsylvania. It was a stark contrast to the barren Minnesota landscape we left behind.

There is no question surrounding the issue of home for the people we were visiting. For many of the residents in Hegins Valley, their roots go back twelve generations. A local historian once told me many people could trace their family back to five Hessian soldiers who were given land in the area after the American Revolution. I do not have the same degree of certainty when asked where is home.

My life is a radical contrast to the people in Hegins Valley. I was born in Minnesota and moved to Iowa and New York before settling in Ohio by the time I was five years old. Following my high school graduation, I moved to Minnesota, then New York, Iowa, Pennsylvania back to Iowa, and finally returned to Minnesota. We never lived in the same town twice in any of those moves. I don’t know where home is for me.

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

— Maya Angelou

Maybe Norwegians are born with a Viking spirit deep within their souls. A genetic marker passed throughout the generations that have left them unable to settle in any one location. The longest of any of our “homes” was the 13 years we spent in Davenport, Iowa. Even then, every three years, I had to fight the urge to move.

Throughout my travels, I have learned that a place feels like home when you take the time to abide with the people. Most of my ministry in Pennsylvania was spent talking around a kitchen table. It did not always feel productive, but it helped the place feel like home and the people like family. Think about it, the people most dear to us are the ones we abide with.

In our reading, joy is not found dwelling in the house of the Lord. The joy of Christ is discovered when we take time to abide in his love. The definition of abiding I like the most is to “continue without fading or being lost.” Those who take the time to love do, in fact, continue without fading or being lost. And that is why I can return to a place that was never really our home and feel at home. No matter where you are, take the time to abide in love, and I guarantee wherever you are will feel like home.

Click to read John 15:9-11

Reflection Questions:

Where is home for you?
How many different places have a home feeling for you?
Who are the people you consider “home”?
When has abiding in love produced an amazing and unexpected relationship for you?

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