“Mom, you take the best pictures when all of us kids gather to welcome you and Dad home from Japan.”

I thought about it for a moment, then agreed with April. As much joy as sharing Jesus in Japan with my husband was, nothing made my heart soar as time with our grown kids and their families. Every summer during our time overseas working for the Department of Defense our way was paid home for a return break to the states.

All five of our kids would gather at April and Rick’s Mt. Norway home. We’d cart chairs to meadow and ask Lynette to come. She’d arrive and then snap several shots of our smiles. Even a casual observer couldn’t miss the joyous beams radiating from this happy momma.

April’s comment made me think of decades earlier, when my husband and I, plus our then little girl, visited my folks in the far northwestern corner of Washington state. My older brother and his wife and toddler came for supper, along with my single younger brother.

After we all were seated, including my little niece in a borrowed high chair and our daughter April, tied with dish towels to the kitchen stool, my dad would turn to Mom, pat her hand, and proclaim, “Chum, we’ve got all the family home.”

My dad’s joyous observation will be a dim whisper compared to God’s at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Whenever I think of that celebration, I love to imagine our Heavenly Father turning to Jesus and proclaiming with a voice that shakes cedar trees, “Son, We’ve got all the family home.”

Do you feel alone? Like an outsider looking in? Like you don’t fit, even in your own family? Even in church? Be encouraged, each day draws nearer to Heaven’s glorious, victorious, joyous jamboree. A golden namecard marks your spot at the table, reserved for you, beloved child of God Almighty. In the meantime, invite others to the feast. Our Father loves a FULL house!

Living the Joy

“He Loves a Full House!”