In the beloved and most popular Psalm 23 we read at the conclusion "only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come."
All of us want to have a dwelling place when we can live and have reference and roots and call "sweet home".
Probably no word better summarizes the suffering of our times than the word "homeless". It reveals one of our deepest and most painful conditions. The conditions of not having a sense of belonging, of not having a place to call our own, where we can feel safe, cared for, protected, and loved.
The first and most obvious quality of a home is acceptance and intimacy. When we say "I wish I were home", we express a longing for that intimate place that offers as people suffer much from conflict at home, even though much emotional suffering finds it's roots at home, and even though "broken homes" are increasingly blamed for crimes and unrest in society. The word "home" continues to carry with it a hope, a warm love, and remains one of the most evocative symbols for possible happiness. Our songs tell us this, "There's no place like home for the holidays".
In terms of relationships, we need to have friends that being with them means that we're at "home".
Our faith even calls us to experience life as "going home" and even death as "coming home at last". Yes to echo Psalm 23, "only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come."