Thursday, August 28, 2008
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When our three kids were young, they'd run to the door to greet me when I was returning from an international trip. Isn't that tender! Yeah, but you need to know part of the reason for this enthusiastic greeting. You see, when I'm away from my family, I am a sucker for souvenirs. The one way I can be with them is by shopping for something for them, whether it's in Singapore, or Holland, or Australia. So there was a certain expectancy when old dad walked through the door. Oh, yes, there would be hugs and kisses, and we had missed each other, but the three kids each knew that those suitcases had things in them that weren't in them when I left. It's nice to come home with gifts for everyone.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What You Bring in the Door."
Now, David was in the middle of an unforgettable experience as we read 1 Chronicles 16. He had led the Jewish people in bringing the holiest object in the world to the new capitol of Jerusalem. It was the ark of God. This was the center of the Lord's personal presence on earth at this point in spiritual history. After years of its being gone, David leads in the return of the ark and he sets up a tremendous leadership structure and worship program that everyone was just beginning to celebrate. But he left behind him memorable events in Jerusalem to go on another mission - he went home.
Our word for today from the Word of God, 1 Chronicles 16:43, "Then all the people left, each for his own home, and David returned home to bless his family." Not only did David bring blessing in public ministry, he brought blessing with him when he walked in the door at home. Do you? You see, each day when you return to your family from wherever you were that day you bring something in the door with you - stress, tension, or peace. Selfishness and looking to have your own needs met, or unselfishness - looking to help people meet their needs. Do you bring positive, encouraging talk, or negative, critical talk? Do you bring coldness or affection?
In many ways you set a tone when you walk in the door and you'll probably have to live with that tone for hours to come. After a stressful day it's just human nature to walk in with a pretty self-focused mind set, carrying the garbage of the day, which we then proceed to dump all over our loved ones! But, wouldn't you like to put your name in our word for today? "________ returned home to bless his or her family."
Well, how do you do that? You have to consciously discipline yourself to mentally close out your work day as you're traveling home. I used to call it "closing your mental briefcase" while you're on the way home. You have to consciously get outside of yourself and focus on how each family member was in the morning when you left. What was each one looking forward to? What were they dreading? What were they planning on? How was each one feeling? And then you enter their lives again before you are ever with them. Sort of with them before you're with them! When you walk through the door you're already in touch with these most important people in your life. Then, like a dad returning home from one of those big trips, you bring gifts through the door with you - like a sincere and specific question about some part of their day, or maybe a caring touch for each member of your family, or a word of encouragement for each one. Seek out each family member. Focus on them for a couple of minutes. Make them feel like they're the only person in the world. Give them all of you, at least for a short time. And if you make up your mind to bring blessing through the door with you, I'll tell you, the people at your house are going to be looking forward to your return! Come home with a commitment to give a gift - a gift of you, to each person you love.