A House Becomes A Home

I have not always loved my home. Over the past 10 years I have moved six times for a variety of reasons. With so brief a time in each home, it's been difficult for me to develop any kind of attachment to a house. Oh, I have scrapbook pages filled with pictures of each place I've lived, but decorator paper and frilly sentiments do not a home make.

It wasn't until I began to study about God's plans for a Christian woman's life did I realize how deeply I needed to care for my home. "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Titus 2:4-5) We are called by God to keep our home, not just take up residence there. Keeping means tending, caring for and making better. So often we see mundane, everyday tasks around the house as chores, not as an occasion for service and glorifying God.

My personal goal for my home is to make it a refuge for all who enter. No, I don't particularly enjoy cleaning and straightening the house, but I do love serving my Lord and my husband in the duties I have been called to. I may not look forward to cleaning the bathroom in the morning, but I delight in a clean, welcoming place for anyone who chooses to come in.

The Proverbs 31 woman is one of my inspirations for keeping my home. "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." This victorious woman chose her service to God over anything else that would take away from her daily work. It is a struggle for me some days to stay on task and not be drawn away by the computer, the television or the many books on my shelves. But by her example, the Proverbs 31 woman reminds me that the bettering of my home comes before all else.

Anyone who walks into our home sees a glimpse of how our walk with God is right now. We should reflect the pride and gratefulness we have in the blessings God has given, not let them get run down, covered by dust or buried under a pile. It is only by His grace that we have a roof over our heads today, so it is out of a loving heart and a thankful response that we care for all He has provided.

It takes a woman of strength to put her heart and soul into her calling to keep the home. That strength and passion come from God Himself. The closer we walk with Him in our daily lives, the easier it is to willingly give of our time and effort.

So just for this week in my home:
Cleaning will be a joy because I'm working for the Lord.
I will find comfort in creating a safe haven for my loved ones.
There will be effort put into arranging things according to God's will.
Organizing my home and life will be not be a struggle but an opportunity.
Errands will be done with gladness in my heart.
My family will be put before all else, because Christ put us before everything.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more