Home Is Where the Heart Is . . . Exposed!

The home can be a remarkable place. It is where we experience life’s most intimate moments, share uncontrolled laughter over the most comedic events, endure seasons of deepest sorrow, celebrate our highest achievements, and twiddle our thumbs in absolute boredom – all of this with those we love most.

Our homes are usually where we feel most comfortable and relaxed, where we’re able to unwind and catch our breath.  They’re where we let our guard down and make ourselves vulnerable.  There are things we do at home which we don’t usually do elsewhere, and appropriately so.  We might wear old, worn-out clothing around the house that we’d never sport before the general public, but that’s not all we confine to the home and conceal from the public.  There are also thoughts, attitudes, actions, words, and habits that are only fully revealed in the comfort of our own home.  For this reason I’m arguing that a home is a remarkable place because it has the unique ability to expose what is truly in our hearts, whether that be love, anger, lust, humility, or whatever.

Let’s consider in greater detail how the home exposes what is truly in our hearts so that we’re better equipped to recognize our sin, run to the Cross, and repent of it instead of writing it off as something less serious.

First, remember what Jesus says about the source of ALL our behavior, namely, that if flows out of our hearts, that is, it is the outward expression of who we really are on the inside: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure [of the heart] produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). This principle is important because it forces us to recognize that, although we are influenced by our environment and circumstances, our actions are the direct result of what is in our heart.

Let this truth be the lens through which you view all that goes on in your home. Your attitude toward food, sleep, and relaxation in your home reveal your heart. Your habits with TV and Internet both in content and quantity of time spent, disclose what is in your heart. Whether or not your hobbies around the house and your use of free time crowd out time for fellowship with God through Scripture and prayer unveils the values of your heart. In the context of our homes we see if we have a heart for the lost, if we’re storing up treasures in heaven, if our service to others in public is matched by service to others in private.

Furthermore, consider how James elaborates on this truth in the context of conflict.  James says that the source of all interpersonal conflict is our hearts.  More specifically he says it is our passions and pleasures, which come from our hearts, that cause quarrels and fights (see James 4:1).

Do you ever experience conflict in your home?  I know, dumb question! Did you ever stop to think that God uses that conflict to expose what is truly in your heart? Think about it for a moment. After a long day’s work you probably desire to enjoy a relaxing, stress-free evening – sounds reasonable.  But what happens when a spouse or child interferes with your plans by way of requesting your assistance on a project, asking for help with homework, or by requiring your intervention due to sibling warfare? Does your heart treasure your relaxation such that you get demonstrably angry with whomever jeopardizes your enjoyment of it, or do you treasure Christ such that you’ll continue to humbly and selflessly serve Him in your home even when temporal pleasures are withheld?

Watch over your heart in that remarkable place called “home,” for whether in comfort or in conflict home is where the heart is exposed!