What Makes a House a Home

In all my life I never thought I would be living in a house with 8 people. I grew up with an older brother, but he moved out when I was only in 8th grade. After that, it was just me and my mom until I went off to college and shared a tiny dorm room with a different girl for 4 years on campus. Then I moved into an apartment with 4 other girls, hoping to experience community that I'd heard about from friends or read about in Acts. Unfortunately, it just didn't happen.

When I was told that I would be living with 7 roommates (two of whom are my bosses!), I was nervous. I am definitely an introvert, being recharged by time alone and reflection, so the thought of not only sharing a room with someone else (and for a while it looked like there was going to be 4 of us in one room!), but knowing that there would almost always be someone home, didn't really excite me. In fact, I wasn't looking forward to it.

But one thing I have been learning in this season is how awesome and full of surprises the Lord is! His plans are so far beyond mine, sometimes I wonder why I even bother planning at all! Living in a community of people who are loving, encouraging, uplifting, and genuinely interested and concerned for you is so amazing. I love each of my roommates so much! Honestly, it's been so encouraging to gain a better understanding of what the author was writing about in Acts about the early church:

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
~Acts 2:44-47

We share just about everything! From food to bills, living space to chores, having everything in common actually is a learning experience in humility, service, love and grace. We all left so much behind for this. Taking 8 people and all their things and putting them together in one house, there were many sacrifices we each had to make, but I don't regret it for a second. What I have gained is so much greater. We share stories, encourage each other when we're struggling, hold one another accountable, and give hugs when they're needed! One of my favorite things is when we somehow all manage to gather around the table together for a meal. With such busy and conflicting schedules, it really is a special time! I can speak from my own experience, it sure does make my heart glad and sincere and obviously causes me to praise God and enjoy these people!

Even closer still is my roommate, Lauren. Oh what a blessing it has been to share a room with her. I have never loved having a roommate before, but I do now! It's honestly weird when she's not home. I can't fall asleep! We share life, secrets, and funny stories. I have lost count of all the times we have almost died from laughing so hard! And we are so similar it's crazy how God has brought us together. We're both introverts, so at night it's just comforting to know she's on the bunk below me, reading as well. Or to encourage one another when we're believing lies about ourselves. Or on our days off, to have someone else with whom to indulge in my guilty pleasure: ice cream and America's Next Top Model :) I love her!

So what makes a house a home? I haven't felt this way in a long time, and it is so refreshing. I think above all else, what makes a house a place you can call home is that you look forward to walking in the door, knowing that you are about to walk into an environment of love and support. I have that here, and I am so thankful for it.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!