What The Beach Taught Me About Home

I recently returned from a two-week vacation to Amelia Island in Florida. It’s such a beautiful place, and I always enjoy spending time there with my family.
 
There is one particular road on the island that I love to drive down. The road is lined with houses that have very unique styles of architecture. Many of them are massive homes, and while there are a few “smaller” ones, the homes along this road typically sell for $1-$4 million dollars. 

​What makes these homes so valuable? Their location. All of these homes are right along the beach. From their patio and pool decks you can hear and see the waves. Many of the homes have their own private boardwalk too.
 
While driving down this road, I imagine what it would be like to live in a million-dollar home on the beach. The initial thought sounds glamorous, but the thought of cleaning a massive house and paying the property taxes and utility bills does not sound glamorous.
 
Instead, maybe I could buy a tiny house on the beach…..yes, that sounds much better. I may not be able to move around much in the house, but at least I would have the beach as my backyard. Falling asleep listening to the waves crashing outside my window would be amazing. Life would be so peaceful….
 
At least that is how I imagine it in my mind. The reality is, I can’t even afford to buy an empty lot on this road. I would have to take out a large loan just to pay for the soil and grass.
 
It’s easy to imagine that we would be happier if we lived in a better house, a bigger house, or in a new location. No wonder millions of people watch shows every week on HGTV focused on home renovations and finding the “perfect” home. I watch those shows too. 
 
Maybe some day I will live near the beach, and while I love visiting, I realized that right now, the Cincinnati area is the place I call home. It’s the place I feel at home. Why?
 
I can’t fall asleep listening to the sound of waves crashing, but I do fall asleep with a great sense of peace that this is exactly where God wants me to be.
 
I wake up with a sense that God has placed certain people around me for a reason. That this is the place where the pages of my story are meant to connect with others.
 
Have you considered that maybe God has placed you in a specific location because He knows exactly who needs to hear your story?
 
Have you considered that maybe God has placed you in a specific location because He knows someone else’s story could help and encourage you?
 
Think about who you frequently interact with in your neighborhood, at school, work, church, etc....Pray for them. Be intentional about investing in the lives of those God has placed around you. They are there for a reason. And so are you.
 
As much as I love the beach, the Cincinnati area is currently the place I feel most at home. It’s a place that I never envisioned living, but right now, I know it’s exactly where God wants me to be.