The House That Built Me

Upon first hearing the song, The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert, I thought it was only about a family home. After seeing it performed on the ACM's, it gave me a different perspective. I saw in the background of the performance the inside of a church with stained glass windows. It was beautiful! I began thinking about the house of God that built me.

It was a small red brick Assembly of God church on the corner. I know every room in that church. I grew up in it. In the basement in the last classroom on the right is where I first gave my heart to Jesus. The nursery room is where I was rocked to sleep as an infant and where I put on my wedding dress before walking down the aisle. The alter is where I was first dedicated as a baby, knelt at many Sunday evenings, and where I took my last look at my father at his funeral. It was more than a building.

We forget sometimes that the place we go to every Sunday or Wednesday is more than a building. It's a place that builds us. The people around us help shape us. When I remember my childhood church, I also see all the faces of the people that were there with me. I wasn't at the alter, singing in the youth choir, or in any of the classrooms by myself. There were teachers, pastors, choir members, and friends with me all along the way. This place that builds us is a family, the family of God.

There is a building that has continued the work of building me. The location is different but inside are the same people-those who love the Lord. They are shaping me and my children. I want my children to have the same memories as I do. The same type of memories you hear about in this song. If they get lost in this world, I want them to remember there is a place they can always come home to. A place where our brokenness will find healing, love, and acceptance. Many times those who have walked away from God find themselves walking back through church doors. They start with going to a physical place but are led to a spiritual place of finding their way back to Him.

Take a few minutes to find this song on the play list, listen to it and see if you're not reminded of a place that has helped build you. What are you doing to give your children that same place?

Blessings,
Lisa