Entering our Father's house

We are told in the holy Scriptures that our Father's house is huge, and has many dwelling places, and is beyond and outside time, ans is glorious with streets of gold and seas of glass --- but I think also that it bears some through-the-mirror-dimly resemblance to my grandma's house. Especially when it comes to the mercy of God.

Grandma's house had two entrances. There was the front dor, the formal entryway into the sitting room. That was where the postal carrier came, and the UPS guy, and the police, the folk for whom one inclined one's head and says ma'am and sir and would you please; it was also the door of the unwelcome visitors, the door-to-door peddlers and preachers, who received usually well-earned not-interesteds and go-aways and get-losts, depart from me! It was possible to enter or leave the house there ---- the police officer might be invited in to the sitting room and offered a cup of coffee ---- but hardly anyone ever did, except for the highest of high state occasions. [There's a photo of my mom, eldest daughter of the house, leaving by that door with my dad for their honeymoon.]

Then, there was the other door, the door for the family, for the people who belonged there, with a big messy working porch and coming into the kitchen; some, but not hers, had a mud room with a little sink. No sirs and ma'ams here, no depart-from-me either. More like a good loud howdy, and maybe a few quick reminders ---- take off those muddy boots and leave then out there, and shake off your coat, too, come on over to the sink and wash up before you track on the carpet! The oven's on, so just sit here by till you warm up and dry out!....... and the troubles one came here from can be taken care of, no longer muddy or drippy, warm and dry and full of nice hot coffee (or apple cider or chicken boullion), ready to proceed to the parts of the house with the carpeting.

Only the perfectly holy can endure the unmediated Presence of God, just like only the clean and the dry are allowed to tred on the carpeting. But both grandma and God will, in their great lovingkindness, present every opportunity to attain to glories, to become ready to attain the freedom of the house.
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