God’s Household

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, Ephesians‬ ‭2:19‬ ‭‬‬

Learning how to be a fellow citizen, a member of the same household is hard. Living with others takes work. Being able to be vulnerable and open with others, letting them see the real person they are living with not as a stranger but as a flawed person takes courage.

When you’re dating you don’t let out everything. You spend time together and learn about each other, but it is taken to another level when you become members of the same household. The only way to truly live in harmony is to stop trying to protect self and be vulnerable with another. It is the only way for you to move past being strangers.

I have watched numerous shows where one partner gets up early to put on a face so that their partner doesn’t see the real person they are sleeping next to. It’s funny to watch, but it is a tragedy to not be real in a relationship, especially an intimate one.

I admit this is hard for me. We had strict boundaries as I grew up. People were not really vulnerable with each other because trust was broken. I learned to manipulate which just adds another layer of keeping others from knowing what I really need or want. I carried that into adulthood and added hurts along the way. I took down more trust along the way.

I have to set aside the flesh that says protect yourself. I am called by God to be a member of His household. I have to let others know me. Not the me I present to strangers but the real me. There are things about me, that others need to see because it will help them. There are things I have walked through that can help someone else know they are not alone. There are gifts that Hod has given me that are meant to be shared with His household.

God doesn’t ask us to put on a mask when we join His household. He wants us to be real with Him and each other. He can use our vulnerability to help others. He doesn’t ask us to hide our past, He wants us to show others we can thrive despite our past. He doesn’t ask us to hide our scars, but to show that He will use those scars for His Kingdom purpose. He doesn’t ask us to pretend we don’t have struggles, but to share that He is with us through them.

Prayer – Lord I pray that You would help me not to be a stranger with those You have called me to fellowship with. Let me remember that I am part of the same household, and that the sooner I am vulnerable the easier it is to just be me, who You created me to be. Help me to tear down the barriers that I have created and just live according to Your will. Let me love as a fellow citizen with the saints and members of the household of God. Amen.