My mom is a retired Kindergarten
teacher. One of the gifts she offered
her classroom was home visits to her
students. These visits allowed her to see
a child in his or her home environment and it allowed her to see how they
interacted with family members. The kids
were always so excited to give her a tour and host her in their home. She talked about how valuable that time was
to learn about her students. She said
her relationship with student and parent changed after that visit. Trust was developed and a relationship was
built.
The biblical account of Zacchaeus
involves Jesus making a home visit. This
was a transformative visit for Zacchaeus.
He was able to turn from his greedy and sinful ways to become a follower
of Jesus. I look to this story as a
reminder of the value of relationship. Jesus
entered into Zacchaeus’ living space and spent time with him. I can imagine Jesus listening to Zacchaeus’
story as they sat together sharing an afternoon snack.
Just as my mom learned about her
students and Jesus learned about Zacchaeus during an afternoon visit, we can
learn about others when we are intentional about sharing time with them. I do believe there is something sacred that
can happen in someone’s home. Stories can come alive. Laughter and tears can be shared. And strangers can become friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment