A place to be …

As I was working throughout the evening at a Starbucks, I noticed the colorful beverage belonging to a young homeless girl just sat undisturbed on the small table between our chairs.

Not once did she take a sip from the drink. It just sat there. Eventually the girl left the coffee shop, leaving the drink still untouched on the table.

She didn’t come into Starbucks to get a refreshing drink, she purchased it so she could have a place to be for a while.

The greatest need of all of us is for God Himself; for the homeless person, the next greatest need is a place to be. The average person can’t fathom just how great this need is because they have some home base to go to – there’s always “home” to go to for rest or respite … or just to “be.”

Homeless people lack that great need of a place to “be,” a place from which to launch and function from. A barista at the same Starbucks mentioned to me a couple days ago some homeless people who can’t afford a cup of coffee try to sneak into the trash for a cup so that it appears they’ve made a purchase … just so they can have a place to “be” for a while.

Homeless or not, we all need that “place to be.” Jesus certainly understood that very real human need, and He has big plans for providing for it permanently in spectacular fashion …

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am,” John 14:1-3.

Jesus WANTS us with Him, forever! It is our Lord’s design for us that our place to be is with Him, now and always!

We may not be able to be in our Father’s house for a while, but we can learn to live with Jesus every day, even in this life while we wait for His return. In fact, the concept of “with” is a highly profound spiritual point we hear very little of, yet it has immeasurable impact on our lives. To help you dig deeper into how you can live life “with” Jesus, please check out my original review of the book “With” by Skye Jethani (you can find my review of the book by clicking here). I strongly recommend you get the book and absorb its great message.

Whether we’re spending much of our days (and nights) scrambling to find a place to be, or perhaps we have a house we can consider home for now, our great human need for a place to be will ultimately be fulfilled when our heavenly Father welcomes us into His own home, there to be with Him forever more! Until then, are you learning how to live a “with” life in Christ right now?

Scotty