We …. You !

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Lord you° have been my "dwelling place",  both small

and large: my bed, my house, my country, world,

my culture, & our womb in heaven's halls,

my fam'ly - both familiar & quite pearled.

A "dwelling place" to some is sterile quite,

and simply functional, some spot to BE,

devoid of time & friendship so their plight

is blindness to the good things others see.

Some others see a “dwelling place” as that

which is quite fertile, but they know no lore 

of love surrounding, or a self that’s spat

on and de-throned, for hesed’s* not at core.

For me, I’ve felt indiginous in this,

my “dwelling place” had love & honour too

at centre, by a series of choices 

designed, refined, reminding me of you.

And so at heart, a dwelling place, or space

to live, and move, & have our being in,

will have the flavour of its head, a trace

of character that learns from you to win

the race, by recognising what it's for,

it plays the game, but under bigger lore,

and keeps whatever’s central at the core,

the fun is known, appreciated more.

Lord, you, yourself, have been before, and still

are my own space to grow and learn to be,

a person who is ruled by love and will

be kind. Not blinding. In you is our “we”.

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°  “ I will put my dwelling-place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. ‭Leviticus 26:11-12 NIVUK‬

My dwelling-place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them for ever.” ’ ‭Ezekiel 37:27-28 NIVUK‬

A message to Eli the priest appointed to look after the house of God, the dwelling place of God with humanity, and of humanity with God: ‭1 Samuel 2:27-36 NIVUK‬

“Lord, you have been our dwelling-place throughout all generations. 2Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. ‭Psalms 90:1-2 NIVUK‬

*  hesed (or chesed, or kesed) is the Hebrew word for loyal love, loving-kindness, covenant love, unfailing love. It is central to the character of God. The followers of Jesus came to see that “God is love!”, & that “Love never fails”, & “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. …

[11] Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. …

[16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. …

[19] We love because he first loved us. …

[21] And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (‭1John 4:7-8, 11-12, 16, 19, 21 NIVUK‬)

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