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This is a repost from a few months back. I pray it blesses you…
Yesterday I shared about
simple hospitality, and how I want my home to be a place filed with people and with love, not just things.
Today I am going to share a bit more about what we fill our homes with and how they can be a reflection of God’s love.
When we focus on using our homes as a reflection of God’s love, we need to understand what that looks like. It actually has nothing to do with how it “looks.”
Just like when we use our homes as a tool in our curriculum, and let our homes be an atmosphere of continuous learning, our homes are also a tool used for witnessing God’s love.
Having lots of “stuff” and perfect decor can easily become an idol. We chase after what our homes look like, when what people really care about is how they feel in your home. To be honest I am more comfortable in a house with dust bunnies and mismatched curtains, than one of perfection. It means the people that live there are real.
I want my home to have God’s love felt from the moment someone walks in. Quite frankly I do not want to portray this perfect home, because I am not.
Come in and see my mess, see my struggle.
See me. And see God’s love in action. He loves me anyway. He makes me better. But most of all our family loves the Lord and you will see that in our home.
Showing hospitality is an act of love. And not just when we feel like it; when everything is “company ready.” No, an open door in the middle of the day for a spontaneous cup of coffee is an act of love and service. Putting others’ needs first. Building relationships with people. Your home will be the home that people think of when they hear the word “hospitality.” It’s a place of always welcoming…just like Jesus does for us. He always welcomes us.
I was never a neat kid. I was never by nature orderly or organized. I was a mess. Over the years I have had to work at keeping up house and keeping things organized; God has worked, but I will never be categorized as a neat freak. So the less stuff I have in my home, the easier it is for me to take care of what I have. The easier it is for me to have more time for people.
We take nothing material with us when we leave this earth, so why, oh why, do we spend so much time on these things? Searching stores, internet, and catalogs. It is fruitless. Why do we let our minds be fixed on achieving what is fruitless?
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:2
Walking with God and letting people in your home to see what that looks like-that bears fruit. Storing up eternal treasures, bears fruit.
So I encourage you, even when it is hard, open your home and let it be a place of comfort, peace, and rest to all who enter. Most of all a place where they can meet Him.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20
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Join me on my journey to clear the clutter as I am simply living...for Him! I am a homeschooling mom sharing about my faith, family, hobby-farm life, and Jesus. I am also an author and speaker and love sharing my journey with others- and I am all about keeping it real and authentic! Join me as I seek less of this world and more of Jesus!
Karen DeBeus is a homeschooling mom learning to live more simply and keep God at the center of it all. She is the author of three best-selling homeschooling books and writes at Simply Living for Him. She speaks nationally at homeschooling conventions and recently was a speaker at the Family Bible Conference in Washington, DC. Her passion is to help others clear the clutter from their lives, seek God first, and to encourage women and families to get in the Word every day.
In 2016, she founded the Simply Living for Him Retreat, which is a time of rest and renewal for all women seeking Jesus. She enjoys life on her hobby farm with her husband and four children. Together they are a work-at-home family pursuing a simple life with purpose and, above all, seeking to glorify God in all they do.
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