When God Fills the House

Readings 012726 

 

In the days after the winter storm, my house has been full.
Full of blankets by the door, full of voices and footsteps,
full of the people I love.
And as I look around, I see the changing shape of my family.

There are my mother and my mother‑in‑law—
both in their eighties now,
so alike in strength,
so different in spirit,
each carrying a lifetime of faith that somehow found its way into me.

There is my wife—
the one who has walked with me through every storm we didn’t choose
and every grace we didn’t expect.
We’ve had our struggles,
but love held us together—
love for each other,
and love for God.

Then I look at my children and grandchildren
and I see the treasures I tried to hand on:
faith, hope, a sense of God’s nearness.
I know they know God.
I pray they keep seeing Him,
keep reaching for Him,
keep walking with Him.

And the little ones—
with their wide eyes and open hearts—
reach for God the way they reach for a warm hand,
with innocence and wonder.

And in all this closeness,
in all this shared life,
I feel the truth of today’s readings:
God’s presence creates God’s family.
And whoever welcomes His presence
becomes kin to Him.

Here in my crowded home,
I see it.
I feel it.
God is dwelling with us.
And in His presence,
we are family—
His family—
now and forever.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the gift of family
and for the quiet ways You dwell among us.
Open our hearts to Your presence,
guide us in Your will,
and keep us rooted in the love that makes us Yours.
May every generation under this roof
learn to walk in Your light
and rest in Your peace.
Amen.