What Makes a House a Home

by Lester Rennard

There is a very big difference between a house and a home that should never be confused. A house is a physical structure that is built of wood, brick, concrete and other like materials. It is designed primarily to provide shelter but oftentimes comes equipped with luxuries that supercede its mission. It is an inanimate object that offers a sense of external security and stability in exchange for its owners' commitment to upkeep.

The value of a house is usually determined by market forces and comparable appraisals. It can be bought and sold and has no intrinsic loyalty to anyone. It can be destroyed by physical forces of nature such as wind, water and fire. For most people, its acquisition and possession create a debt burden and it remains encumbered and subject to repossession until its debt is liquidated.

A house is a shell that encloses a home, provides it a sanctuary and protects it from the elements. A home is a dynamic, living organism that is made up of live individuals sharing life together in a communal setting. It is built upon a foundation of love, acceptance and mutual service to one another. It cannot be bought or sold nor is its value determined by market forces and appraisals but by the moral virtues and spiritual principles to which it subscribes as a unit.

A home provides nurturing and care for those within its intimate circle. It provides an environment for growth, maturity and creative excellence and offers security and hope. When established by a husband and wife who commit their lives and destiny in loyalty to one another, it forms the nucleus for the perpetuation of the human species.

The atmosphere of a house without a home, being inanimate, is stolid. The atmosphere of a home whether abiding under the roof of a house or apartment or any other structure is charged with emotions and continues to be a home even when the house within which it is sheltered may disappear or be lost. A home does not depend on a house to establish its identity. A house without the dynamic dwelling of a home remains empty and will soon lose value and deteriorate.

For those who place greater value and attention on their home, their house remains a valuable, attractive, inviting place and a monument that exudes the love, mutual respect, acceptance and care that reside within the enclosure of its walls. For those who place greater attention and value on their house rather than their home, the house loses value, becomes a place to be avoided and instead of being a shelter and sanctuary descends into becoming a graveyard for the home that soon disintegrates and dies.

The critical question is: Is your house the cradle of a dynamic, loving home marked by mutual respect, care and nurturing or is it a graveyard within which the fabric of your home is being torn apart, disintegrating, dying and soon to be buried?