Making Your Home Sing - A Song of Rest

When we talk about our homes, don't you love to use those terms to describe your home like:"a place of refuge", "a sanctuary", "an oasis of refreshment", or "there's no place like home"? I like to talk about my home like that too! But often times my home is filled with activity, teenagers running in and out, sending my husband off to work, getting kids to sports practice and juggling the never ending pile of laundry. It would appear that chaos rules instead of a peaceful oasis of love and grace!

But this weekend, something clicked. Two of our boys were involved in the local county fair showing animals. This required us to be gone from home ALOT! Even though our family is very active, we make it a point to try to stay home as much as possible in the evenings, since we are gone all day. But this week from Wednesday through Saturday, we were gone all day and all evening! Parents were tired, kids were tired, housework was non existent, food was eaten on the run, laundry was piling up and we were getting grouchy!

When we would get home late at night with only enough energy to shower and go to bed, our home never felt so good. It all clicked to me, that home is truly where we recharge, refresh and renew. It was a place where we could shut out the world, lock ourselves in our own little peaceful paradise (for a little while), and get revived to continue on for the next set of tasks. While we were at home, there was no rushing or panic but a time to just be ourselves. In the midst of our chaotic week, this was true refreshment to our souls.

Early Saturday morning as I did a few quick chores before heading out again, I did them a little more joyfully, knowing that my labor and effort were accomplishing something great. I was building a home. A place not just made up of clean laundry, clean dishes and vacuumed floors, but "our space" for my family to come and find refreshment, renewal and be revived to continue on. Building my home is pouring my energy and time to create for my family a place they will always hold in their heart. Is there any higher calling or privilege?

The wise woman builds her house... Proverbs 14:1

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...

WFW – Write It On My Heart

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. Hebrews 8:10 On a recent field trip to a museum featuring the days gone by, we sat in an old schoolroom as the teacher introduced us to the quill pen and bottle of ink. She cautioned us to use extreme caution using the ink and told us that if it got on our skin or clothes, it would not come off. This reminded me of this beautiful promise from Hebrews. God told His people he would put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. This is a covenant which cannot be broken. He loves us and wants us to know Him through His Word. As we read more and more of His Word, it becomes w...

Construction, Challenges, Chaos

Who knew something simple could erupt into something chaotic so quickly? A broken file cabinet forced us to purchase a new one. We found one online, ordered it and it arrived quickly with a do it yourself assembly book, complete with 24 part packages and 18 steps of instructions! As we unpacked the items and compared with the instruction book, we realized a part was missing. Customer service was called, a replacement part was quickly received. Except, the screws did not fit into the holes on the replacement part. We tried again, received another part, same issue. Meanwhile, the 24 packages of parts are spread out on my living room floor, customer service does not understand my issue, they asked for photos which were sent and now we are again, waiting for a part. It seems every project faces the inevitable delay. My work place is undergoing a floor remodel. Upheaval, dust, packing, lots of inconvenience and depending on the work crew's schedule dictate the next fe...

Debbie TApril 12, 2010 at 12:01 PM
GREAT thoughts. Home really is the place where FAMILY lives - not just the building or the structures - but the people within their relationships. Lovely reminder of what HOME & FAMILY means!
JenniferApril 12, 2010 at 2:48 PM
So glad you guys had a great week/weekend together - and had that sense of home to come back together....these really are great times!
momsthewordApril 13, 2010 at 2:39 PM
I love this verse because it reminds me to BUILD my home, and not to tear it down with my own hands, mood, or mouth, lol!

Awesome post. I love the part about holding home in their hearts, because that is what we want them to do. Go out into the world but remember they have a safe, loving haven to return to.

Thanks for linking up today!

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