Sometimes I forget and get caught up in the serving, cleaning, decorating, cooking, and homeschooling, that I need reminded of what really makes a home.
I believe my family wants their mother over perfectly ordered cupboards or clean floors. I am reminded daily that this home that I'm living in is temporary, it will never be perfect, nor does it supposed to be. It makes me long for my heavenly home where beauty is found in the Presence of Jesus Christ, not in lavish furniture or Martha Stewart decorating. If we want our temporary dwellings to be beautiful, Jesus has to be found at the center of our homes. I think the greatest compliment I have ever received was last year when a lady come over to my house. As she walked around our home, tears filled her eyes. She said, "Wow, you can just feel the presence of God in your home." She didn't compliment how clean my floors were or how well I decorated, but that she felt God's presence. It really caught me off guard. Never had I heard a reaction like that before. What a great reminder to me of what really makes my home beautiful!
Over the years I've learned and hope to remember that:
The size of a house doesn't make a home.
A new living room set doesn't make a home.
Having a spotless house doesn't make a home.
Having a "new" house does not make a home.
Having beautiful decorations that look just like the glossy pages found in the House Beautiful magazine does not make a home.
"Home" happens when memories are made:
Playing board games around the kitchen table, sharing meals and holidays, bringing home a new baby, learning how to ride a bike, planting a garden as a family, backyard picnics, counting stars on the back deck, daddy's bedtime devotions, canning summer's bounty...
"Home" happens when first steps are taken, first words are spoken, bellies are filled with laughter.
"Home" happens when crumbs are left for tomorrow, fingerprints are a work of art, and blankets are made into castles.
But what makes your home truly beautiful is Jesus Himself.
His presence when hands are folded in prayer, voices proclaiming God's goodness, mercy, forgiveness, and faithfulness.
Allowing Christ to be at the very center of your home.
Acknowledging that all our labor is in vain without Christ as the foundation. Laying aside "important" things to choose the better by being still, seeking God, reading His Word, and crying out to Him in prayer.
Realizing that we can do nothing whatsoever without Him.
Refusing to seek perfection in our earthly homes.
Seeking our heavenly home and keeping our eyes on the Prize- Jesus Himself!
Do you have a beautiful home?
Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house,its builders labor in vain.
Proverbs 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
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