FINDING THE BEAUTY IN YOUR HOME

A BEAUTIFUL HOME

 Looking through the beautiful, carefully curated homes in decorating magazines that call to us from the newsstand, can make us feel less than happy with our homes.  Every surface in the photos is gleaming, free from clutter, nicks or scratches.  Beautiful containers of flowers adorn the counters and tabletops.  Nowhere are there signs of children, pets, today’s mail, or the dinner dishes.  I love to flip through the pages of these magazines to soak up the beauty and get some decorating tips, but I have to wonder if anyone actually lives in these houses?  This is certainly not the way I live. 

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Rather than a picture-perfect house, I have a home that sports a lived-in, rough around the edges look.  Instead of pristine surfaces I have the patina of use in all of my rooms.  So many items in my home are rescues, like the animals from the shelter, a little worse for wear but still lovable.  Furniture and decorative items that someone decided no longer had value and discarded, now live a new life in my home.  I love these found treasures.  They remind me that sometimes beauty is hidden, it lies just under the surface.  Often a bit of cleaning and a fresh coat of paint are all that is needed to restore these items to their full beauty. 

Living with these treasures reminds me of how God looks at me in my state of disrepair and loves me anyway.  His fondness for me goes so deep that He also works to restore my beauty and purpose when everyone, including myself, have given up.  The reclaimed items in my home remind me to look beyond the surface of other people as well, and to see them with the eyes of God; to see them for the beautiful and unique creations that they are.    

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WHAT MAKES YOUR HOME BEAUTIFUL?

 

Is it memories that fill the rooms?  The laughter that the walls have heard, the dings in the drywall and furniture made from the rough and tumble of play? 

Is it the pleasure that comes from seeing rescued and restored items gracing your rooms?  The unique and quirky that tells the world something about who you are and that you live daily with hope?

Do you love your home because of the piles of books it contains which have taken over many surfaces and have become your friends throughout your life?  The ones that have challenged, encouraged, and produced a heart of empathy and compassion in you?

Is your home beautiful because of the items you have created to make it your own?  The quilts, paintings, afghans, window coverings, furniture or wall art that has your imprint all over it? 

Is it the kitchen full of everything you need to create culinary magic the place where you find beauty?  The place where you whip up unique and tasty meals to nourish the people you love?  The cupboards that hold your favourite dishes and cookbooks?

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Maybe, like me, your home does not look like the ones in the magazines, yet it has a beauty all its own.  You have made it a place of welcome and belonging and have filled it with love and life.  It reflects the things and people you value, it is a haven, a place of refuge from the demands of the world. 

Celebrate your home in all of its imperfect glory! Give thanks for the life and the loves that are within.

 

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