Home on the Range

"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." -Matthew 19:14

I woke up this morning with the song "Home on the Range" playing in my head.  The only words I could remember of the song from my childhood were, ♪Home, home on the range where the deer and the antelope play♪.  I have not heard this song recently, so why was it going through my head while I was asleep?!  So I looked it up.  Here is what follows, ♪Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day♪.  Ah, now I understand.  I was listening to the Appeals Court argument on TV last night as the Washington State Solicitor General presented their case for why Judge Robart's ruling against the travel ban should not be invalidated......I've been feeling very discouraged about the direction our country is headed--decisions and policy based on fear.  My soul was obviously pining to be Home on the Range where the sky is not cloudy all day!  

Another meaning of the word "discourage" is "hinder."  That led me to the verse I used today where Jesus is admonishing his disciples for not letting the children come to him.  One way to hinder people is to cause them to get discouraged to the point they give up trying.  If our court system backs a regime of fear, then discouragement will not be very far behind.  Fear begets fear.  Where will the spiral downward end?

In my photo today is one of the many fawns we see in our yard every year.  It is so much fun to see them frolicking about with each other.  Living where I do is a place of refuge, surrounded by trees and all sorts of wildlife.  I will often step outside and look up at the clear blue sky and thank the Lord for providing this little bit of heaven on earth for me and my family.  

I am grateful for my little home on the range, but my heart breaks for those who do not even have Jesus to come to.  By opening our hearts to those without a home, who do not even have Jesus to call upon, we are opening doors to the kingdom of heaven for them.  Is that not what we are called to do?