WELCOME?

My home's welcome mat: traditional!

Ruth Bell Graham, the late wife of evangelist Billy Graham, was, well, “a kick.” Her serious side chose for a family home a location that was hard to get to—away from prying eyes and looky-loos—to help preserve some sort of privacy for the five children she often raised alone while Billy traveled. But you only had to step on the porch to realize she was no marble statue but a fun-loving lady. The front doormat read, “Oh, no, not you again.” You can actually buy those mats today—they're available at least online. Inside the home, in her kitchen, she hung this sign: “Divine service will be conducted here three times daily.” She wasn't talking about some high church liturgy, just the nitty-gritty of caring for a large family. Her sense of humor went all the way to the grave. One day while traveling, she took note of a road improvement sign that said, “End of construction. Thanks for your patience.” She said, “I'd like that on my gravestone.” And yes, it's engraved there on her slab next to Billy's grave.*

Back to that welcome mat...I have a traditional “welcome mat” on my porch. My son bought it for me to replace an aging one that was quite worn. He also also pulled up the porch's threadbare outdoor carpet and replaced it with new.

Porches can say a lot about your home. My 1950s-era childhood home in a Los Angeles suburb had a covered porch draped with a red climbing clematis—quite a romantic setting except on Halloween. Our mail was pushed down a chute on the porch that emptied into the dining room. My dad would shove our vacuum cleaner hose up that chute to vocalize a real scary “ooOOOOOooo” to arriving trick-or-treaters. That scared some off the porch!

Okay, fun aside, our entryways often do reflect who we are. If they're dirty or neglected, that's one message. If there's a sign that says, “No solicitors,” that's another. If crowded with plants, another subliminal message. But, mats like Mrs. Graham's teasing "Oh, no, not you again"?

When I knock at heaven's door through prayer, I'm glad I don't sense God saying, “Oh, no, not you again.” I'm glad He doesn't yell, “No trespassing.” Or that He doesn't peer through the peep-hole to see if He wants to open the door. Or, to turn the main analogy inside out--with Jesus knocking at the door of my heart--I'm taken to Revelation 3:20: “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

That's a verse that many (including Billy Graham) have quoted to invite people to come to faith in Jesus. To begin a time of “spiritual reconstruction” to become who God always intended them to be. To be able to say, as does Ruth's tombstone, “End of construction. Thanks for your patience.”

*Zoom in on this link to read the humorous saying she wanted: Headstoneof Ruth Bell Graham, wife of Billy Graham, at her burial site in theMemorial Prayer Garden on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library inCharlotte, North Carolina, that tells the story of the life and"journey of faith" of the famed evangelist - originaldigital file | Library of Congress (loc.gov)