Loving the Home You Have {Contentment}
Home
You may remember that my One Word for the year was/ is HOME. I began this year with the determination that I would get a lot of long overdo projects done around my house and that my focus would be on homemaking and love my home.
Well, the year is half over and I’m happy to say that I have accomplished a couple of big projects – not as many as I’d have liked, but I’m well on my way. First, I made over my dining room. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a really, really long time. It was early 2014 when we first ripped out the carpet and tore off the old wallpaper to find this amazing vintage wallpaper underneath.
I don’t know why it took me so long to “bite the bullet” and just get it done. I think sometimes the “idea” of a project like this is often worse than the reality. It did take me two full weeks of doing little more than painting. But it’s done and I couldn’t be happier!
We were gone for two weeks and when I walked into the house on Sunday night and saw how beautiful my dining room looked, it just made me so happy.
Why did I wait so long?
I also began “making over” my sun room. I still have quite a ways to go before it’s complete. The trim and bookcases will take a while. But, it’s maybe a third of the way complete. And I love it.
I’ll be honest with you. There were several years where I wanted nothing more than to move into a new house. I was tired of the peeling paint, the old carpet, the bad plumbing, and the electrical problems. I spent hours every week scouring ads and looking for what I thought would be a space where I could finally be happy.
Those were the years when life was hard. It was about so much more than the fact that we had bought an older home that needed work. In fact, my unhappiness probably had very little to do with any of that and so much more to do with our life circumstances. Life was not meeting my expectations.
Since we own our own home out right, my husband was very reluctant about the idea of moving any where else. Not to mention we have so many precious memories in this house. But I felt like having a new house would give me a fresh start.
It’s only in looking back that I have realized what was really going on in my heart and mind. I’m so glad God gave me a wise husband!
Recently I purchased the book, Love the Home You Have by Melissa Michaels. I’ve so enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.
Contentment
Contentment is a funny thing. So often we {or I} think that if I could just have ______ {fill in the blank} then my life would be perfect.
Unfortunately, new things, new houses don’t make us content if the problem is really deep down in the pits of our hearts. Shiny new trinkets and shiny new houses may provide us with a temporary feeling of euphoria, but once the shine wears off we find ourselves looking for something else to replace that feeling of joy that we’ve lost.
If our hearts are not content with what we already have, no amount of new things will ever give us what we most desire – to feel loved and at peace.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12,13
In her book Love the Home You Have, Melissa Michaels says, “I spent two years soul-searching instead of house hunting, unsure of what I was looking for. I wandered back through my dream-house journey, reviewing the many ups and downs we encountered in each house. They hadn’t brought the contentment I was searching for, but they also hadn’t disqualified me from someday finding it.
“After experiencing all those house shapes, sizes, and locations, I recognized that in every situation, we always had everything we needed to create a beautiful life at home.” {page 39}.
With a little creativity and some elbow grease, the home I long to have is within my reach. I may not be able to control everything in my life and things may not always go according to my well laid plans. But I can create a space that is filled with beauty in the home I have. And even more than that, I can create an atmosphere in my home that speaks love, peace, and joy to my family day in day out.
Home should be a respite from the world, a place of rest and a haven of laughter. I want my children to look back on our days and years at home with fondness. That’s what home is really about. Loving, laughing, and creating sweet memories.
Have you read Love the Home You Have? If not, you really should!
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