"Most remarkable of all, Jesus goes to the Father in order to prepare a dwelling-place for the disciples, while the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit) comes from the Father in order to prepare a dwelling-place for the Father and the Son. That the only two occurrences of mone in the New Testament should be in such close juxtaposition is a strong pointer to the parallel which is being underlined here. As Paraclete, Christ makes a home for his people in the presence of the Father; as Paraclete, the Spirit makes a home for the Father and the Son in the believer, who becomes individually as well as ecclesiastically 'a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit' (Eph 2:22). The Spirit is the divine 'home-maker', unknown and unrecognized by the world (Jn. 14:17b), but effecting new life, growth, nourishment and change within the family circle."
You know how the grass is always greener? Well, now that I've made my long, slow crawl out of full-time-stay-at-home-mom-and-homemaker world, I'm *slightly* jealous of my friends who are still full-time-stay-at-home-moms-and-homemakers. Every few weeks (okay, every few hours), I think longingly about babies, and then I imagine myself in some fantasy homemaker world where my children gather at my feet adoringly while I shine silver and my casseroles are perfectly brown and bubbly—and I giggle humbly when people say (because they're going to say this in my fantasy all the time), "How does she do it?" Today I even rocked my cat like a baby. And I'm pretty sure certain friends of mine think I'm creepy when I disappear without notice into a quiet room so that I can stare at their baby.
I don't think about being up to your ears in shit (It's a fantasy, guys!) or anything like that.
But when I read this today (see above!) in my very-boringly-titled book, The Holy Spirit, it took my breath away. Because the housewife analogy's not lost on me. The Holy Spirit, who is a full and equal member of the Triune God, makes us beautiful for the Father and the Son.
He's not just sweeping up. He's doing something much deeper and more beautiful than that. He's deep cleaning and picking out swatches and planning magnificent feasts. He is patiently creating a beauty and glory that can never fade.
And he promises to finish this work.
This is a huge encouragement to me as a Christian who feels like the Church (myself included) acts and looks more like the world's ugliest dog limping home after a hit and run. I mean, sometimes we get all big-headed and self-righteous and like to think of ourselves more as Grand Supreme Beauty Queens—let's face the facts, though—we're really just a bunch of ugly, injured dogs.
But with the Paraclete at work in us, this isn't true. At least not for long. This should bring freedom. He's inviting us in to cultivate the fruit He's producing in us. The end is in sight, and it is glorious.
P.S. I think that the next time I brush my fingertip along the dining buffet, and the cloud of dust induces a coughing fit, I won't run for the Pledge right away. I'll just amuse myself with the thought of the Holy Spirit being our Divine Homemaker.
P.S. Also, I should point out that we're all homemakers (young, old, single, married, twice-married, thrice-married, you get the picture). When you create beauty in a space, I think that makes you a homemaker. And I think that when you create beauty, you're imaging God. So that's awesome.
