7704 S. Peach was a special house. It was a one level home built in the late 70’s by my dad. It backed up to the woods and a creek that ran throughout the entire neighborhood.  In the front yard stood an oak tree and a pine tree tall and strong while we lived there and the pine tree is still standing today. While I resided at 7704 there were so many firsts. From learning to ride a bike to my first kiss on the front porch each one was special and played a pivotal role in who I am today. Most importantly while we resided at 7704, our family began going to church. Then, the best yes I ever said happened in my parents bedroom. This is where I met Jesus for the first time. It was truly the house that built me physically and spiritually. 

At 7704 I learned the importance of family. I learned all about football, soccer, softball, and basketball. I learned how to mow the yard and care for a home. My dad showed my sister and I how to make our special family chocolate chip cookie recipe! By the way, this recipe is alive and well and being perfected by yet another generation. While at 7704,  I learned about family game nights and holiday traditions. In this home I learned about love and relationships. 

7704 saw my 1st first date and my last first date. It saw my sister and I grow from two girls who loved playing basketball in the driveway, building forts in the woods, and playing in the creek to two young women dressing up for prom, graduating from high school, and preparing for weddings. 7704 was special. It was a steady constant that we could always return to and feel safe.

The other day, as I was doing yard work at 209 (my new place), I realized that this house is now playing a role in building me and helping me walk through my grief journey. 209 is helping to put the broken pieces back together to create a beautiful new picture of what life after an unexplainable loss looks like. It isn’t easy, it isn’t fun, but day by day the picture of what God is doing in my life now and what He is preparing me for in the future is becoming more clear. 

209 has seen many firsts already in just a couple of months of being our home. It is the first home I have lived in since Jason passed away. It is the home where I rescued my Hasty Bake grill from a garage timeout, meaning I can grill whenever I want. 209 is the home where I re-learned how to do yard work (including trimming – which I had never done before). It is the home where I hung lights around the deck to create a cozy outdoor space. 209 is the home where Abby and I will create new family traditions. It is the home where we will learn new things and there will be opportunities for many more firsts as we walk through this new season of life. 209 will be the house that helps to build the new me. 

Now, 7704 and 209 are physical homes that have and continue to play a role in my life, and yet I cannot help but think, shouldn’t God, or my relationship with Him be a home that builds me? If a home is where we find refuge, safety, strength, rest, and so on, those are all things that are promised to us in the Bible if we are in relationship with Christ.   

So technically, 7704 and 209 have played a supporting role in building me and all this time my relationship with my Heavenly Father has been what has built me. It has shaped me into the woman I am today. It has helped me to realize who I am. It has helped me navigate loss and process change. Continuing to seek Him and develop a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father has begun to reveal a renewed purpose and calling that He has planned for me. 

Oh, by the way no matter your age or stage in life He still has good things for you. He can use you to fulfill His purpose in your life if you are 7 or 77. He can use you to fulfill His purpose in your life if you are healthy or fighting for your life. He can use you to fulfill His purpose in your life if you are happy and full of joy or walking through a grief journey. He is never through using you to tell your story and proclaim His glory. 

Friend, what house built you and how are you allowing your relationship with your Heavenly Father to build you daily?