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It’s Not About Perfection #ATimeToClean

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Its Not About Perfection | Creating a space that feels like home. @ AVirtuousWoman.org

A Time to Clean: Day 30

How have you been? Are you making good progress on this challenge? My home is so much easier to maintain now. I still have some work to do, but already, I see such a huge difference and it makes me happy!

It’s easy when you are coming from a place of discouragement to fall back into that pit. It’s very easy. I know, because I’ve done it many times! You make some progress and then something goes wrong.

  • you have a bad day
  • you get sick – really sick
  • you go out of town and can’t catch up
  • you have several really busy days and the house gets out of control

All of those things happen to me on a regular basis. And sometimes {okay a lot of times} that means I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. And the house looks it.

And I pray no one drops in on me. Right. 

Its Not About Perfection | Creating a space that feels like home. @ AVirtuousWoman.org

It’s like they know my house is a mess. And they want to dig it in just a little deeper. Okay, so I’m sure that’s all just my imagination, but discouragement is like that. It feeds your soul a pack of lies.

Homemaking

So, I want to remind you that all of this is not about perfection. Decluttering, cleaning, homemaking – it’s not about having a perfect space. It’s about having a space that feels warm and inviting, peaceful and cozy.

Home should be a haven. A respite from this world. The lived in look really is okay. Tidy does not have to mean perfect. Neat doesn’t mean perfect.

What so great about having less stuff is that you have less stuff to clean and maintain. Which really means in the end it’s easy to keep your home tidy. It’s a natural cause and effect. If you straightened your home at 8 am and at 2 pm your children are building a fort in the living room and have toys strewn about when the pastor pops in… there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re doing what you should be doing.

[Tweet “Homemaking isn’t about perfection. It’s about creating a space that feels like home.”]

There’s no shame in living life in your home. If you are doing the best you can, there’s no shame in living a life that creates a mess on a daily basis. It’s the noble act of homemaking, making a home – creating a space that your family lives in and grows in and loves in and finding beauty in the real  that motivates us to continue in the daily mundane. Because it’s every real moment you live fully that makes a beautiful life.

“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.”
― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be amazing. Live your life fully, embracing every joy and ever harsh reality with passion. Because you only have this one life.

Today’s Goal

  • Embrace your life – the good and the bad. Praise God for all of it. Ask Him to help you live this moment and the next fully.
  • Determine to live with purpose.
  • Pray about making hard decisions – about what things you should keep, preserve, or let go.
  • Pick up a journal and write down your thoughts about what He has shown you or print my free prayer journal.
  • Choose an area in your home you want to tackle. I’ll be working in my bedroom today.
  • Fill at least one bag or box full of stuff to give away.
  • Take a picture of your bag. Share it on Facebook or Instagram – use hashtag #atimetoclean2017 {optional}
  • Leave a comment below about what you chose to get rid of and anything else God has laid on your heart.
  • Do your best to wake up early tomorrow and spend time in prayer. Use your prayer journal.


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3 Comments

  1. Good Evening Sisters, It was recently laid upon my heart that I had to move from the city, which was killing me financially as just the cost of renting a "cheap" apartment was 900 dollars a month, back to the country.. I balked at first and tried to ignore Gods leading but finally I knew I had to let go and let God.. my son, who is 13, was headed down the wrong path in the city and me being a single Mom, well my finances were shot to say the least.. I cried and agonized over the decision because in my mind I had this perfect job and was doing all the great things by giving my son this city life but finally I had no option.. I had to move.. Moving day was hard.. we packed up ALL this stuff and filled a 16 foot box truck plus friends truck and trailers.. we headed two hours south to the small towns and the farms.. I stored everything in a friends barn while we looked for a place.. in the meantime we crashed with friends.. Within two weeks God laid the perfect little house in my lap.. I went from 1500 a month just rent and utilities to only 500 a month rent with all bills paid.. that allowed me to afford a nice newer vehicle that was dependable.. then after another nail biting two weeks God opened the door to a new job that is fewer hours per week and more money! I was overjoyed! I trusted Him when He told me not to move in quickly but do so very slowly and purge as much as I could.. Was it easy getting rid of some things? No.. but I learned I needed to be more in love with God than material things.. it's a process but with every load I take to charity, I feel an even bigger load of work and worry lifted off me! In Christian love,
  2. thank you for this reminder. I was trying to not be upset with myself...this house is still in the process of cleaning the stuff and packing for the move. this move has taken months because of emergencies. Health and surgeries. I was just sniffing when I read this post. thank you. blessing and joy to you.

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