Zechariah 2:10 — “’Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ declares the Lord.”

“We celebrate making home happen!” A short video I viewed at a recent real estate continuing education class advertised and explained this Ohio Assoc. of Realtors motto.

Many people desire and work hard to own their own piece of land and build their dream home. But what constitutes a real home, anyway?

Some would say the investment of the real property itself creates a home. Others say it is the particular four walls they paint their favorite colors and on which they hang their favorite pictures.

Maybe it’s the comfy furniture, or the amount of acreage or the barn in the backyard. And, as we Realtors say, the most important thing is location, location, location.

But what good are all of these accouterments if the home is empty or love is absent? The essence of a real home is the multitude of relationships that are found there.

God’s people had gone home. They had spent 70 years living in a foreign country because of their sins, but now they had returned to the land of their ancestors’ birth. They worked hard to resettle the land and reestablish their society.

Yet even as the walls of their houses and temple were being raised, there was something missing. The people’s relationship with God was still distant. So, the prophet Zechariah spoke God’s message of love. If the people would return to Him, then He would return to them.

The daughters of Zion would sing for joy and be glad because the Lord was coming and would dwell in their midst. He would again choose Jerusalem as His holy city, and in the future many nations would also join themselves to the Lord and be His people.

Without the Lord’s presence and promise of favor, the city, the houses and even the Temple would not really be home for the nation of Israel. They would just be pieces of real estate.

Home is the center of family and society. But these are not defined with four walls, vaulted ceilings and location. Even when families who love each other live together, there is still something missing.

Like the children of Israel, we will never be truly at home until our relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of our lives. Then it doesn’t really matter what type, if any, real estate you own. God’s children can always celebrate with joy because His presence is what makes a real home.

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with Farm World. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com