Melissa Michaels
About the Author

Melissa Michaels is the NY Times Bestselling author of Love The Home You Have and The Inspired Room book. Her blog, The Inspired Room, was voted Better Homes & Gardens Readers' Favorite decorating blog in 2014 and 2015. Melissa is a church planter's wife and a mom to three human kids and...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. I have struggled moving into a weirdly decorated furnished flat in Cape Town South Africa as missionaries to local youth. It is frustrating while we wait to get into a home that feels more cozy and inviting. Yet already we have been able to have youth from the townships stay over, play cards, and have worship and Bible studies at our house. It may be small but 15 girls crowded in eagerly to study the Word and sing. And being here is teaching and stretching me to see I have to make our home the attitude of our family, not just our physical house!

  2. I can relate! The drum set is still in my family room while the son who played is newly married but in a house too small to hold them. They became part of our lives 10 years ago. What I lost–some space and home “beauty”; what I gained–an amazing appreciation for percussion and seeing my son play with passion and skill. It has been completely worth the trade off.

  3. The little check boxes next to each subject on the school schedule. Oh, how I twist inside when I see my perfectly planned day stutter. :shakes head: How easy it is to lose sight of the One I love in that tunnel-visioned place…to forget to turn to Him, His grace, rather than stubbornly trying to ram my will through. Yes, He has been speaking to me about those little boxes..give me ears to hear!
    Because it’s all about relationship, isn’t it? To really listen to the kids, to SEE them, to stop for them. Why do I make those small little boxes more important? God give me grace…sometimes a 1/4 inch square is as big as a drumset.
    Thank you for these words…for turning my gaze back to Him.
    ~Heather

  4. You had me at drum set. That is awesome. I love that you shared this today.
    Thanks for the reminder that our homes are really about the people who live there and walk through the door!
    Nobody wants to live in a museum! But a house with a drum set in the living room…well these people might just be cool!
    Thanks Melissa!

  5. I’ve lived with drums in my living room. Fortunately, my now 16-year-old was able to move them into our newly refurbished garage a couple of years ago and can beat the woo out of them anytime he wants. But the real payoff for me comes at school concert time, when I get to watch him on stage in jazz band, and there is my naturally quiet, keep-to-himself, who’s-really-in-there kid exuding passion like I see him do at NO OTHER TIME. Tears spring to my eyes as it’s practically a window to his soul.
    I’d sleep on those drums if I had to, because watching him play is something I’d gladly sacrifice any of my own comforts for!

  6. My living room is my husband’s office!
    So I totally understand. Many days (like last night) I want to scream and run from the mess. He has computers and parts laying everywhere.
    Most of the time….
    I’m learning to sacrifice that lovely room for a steady weekly income!
    God is good to provide a good paying job!

  7. This was such an encouraging post! We are missionaries to youth in the UK and God has been teaching me about sacrificial love ever since we moved here! Thanks for this post, just what I needed to hear.

  8. I am sacrificing my time to serve the Lord as a youth leader and enjoying every minute of it!

  9. Oh Melissa! What a wonderful article! You are so right! We do get focused on the wrong things sometimes. I love that you guys are church planting and I am going to add your church to my prayer list as well as your drummer! I got tears in my eyes when I read about his comment on your facebook page!! Wow! Isn’t it awesome how God works in our lives and blesses us with messes that we sometimes forget are a blessing? Mine is toys and children’s bookshelves that are so full of books that they are always tumbling all over the floor…in our dining room! I am so blessed that all of our kids love to read. I need to remind myself that someday I will miss all of their toys and books on the floor. Someday the house will be clean and quiet and they will have grown up and moved on with their lives. Thank you for reminding me that I should be sacrificing with love not aggravation! 🙂

  10. This post came at an amazing time for me. My husband and I have spent the whole week talking about making our main room (already the living room, front entrance, dinning room, kitchen, and office) our bedroom as well. We live in a 300 square foot space with our 4 year old. There is one bed room and the bed is wall to wall to wall with a 1 foot space between the other wall. We have been sharing this space with our daughter and have been talking about giving it to her fully and putting our bed in the main room. This would be such a sacrifice on our part and would require us to get rid of more stuff (the couch), something we have already done in abundance to live here. It has been hard talking about it, but the pros for our daughter seems good. Your article has given me some perspective. Thanks.

  11. As with most of life’s less-than-perfect-decorating moments, this too shall pass! When your church plant moves into its new building, you will know that all your living room drum look was not in vain. Just like the baby things give way to the video games give way to the wedding gifts give way to the empty nest. Life is a process and one day at a time we savor. Thanks for the reminder – as a grandmother of four Crowning Glories, my haven is a refuge for precious memories. Live is good!

  12. You are a far better woman than I! 😀 I’d move mountains to get that drum set to a better location. So glad that it has meant such a difference in a young person’s life.

  13. Oh, sister! I have to say, I was laughing through my tears at this post. I am no home-decorating guru (in fact, my next stop is going to be your blog…I could sure use some inspiration!!). However, I do like things…you know, neat and comfy, and tied together with some sort of artistic plan.
    The inventory of musical instruments in my living room as of this morning: One piano (that’s mine, so it doesn’t bug me). Two electric basses. One bass stand. One electric guitar. One regular guitar. One large amp. One microphone stand, with microphone. One music stand. Four hundred leaves of sheet music, some in binders, some loose, mostly hidden in a nice basket. And my very favorite: At least two-point-five million miles of Monster cable that will NOT stay put no matter how many times I try to conceal it!
    I guess my decorating plan for that room is “Music studio”? Thank goodness none of us play the drums…that will have to wait ’till we get a bigger house!
    But it does bring me so much joy to see my husband and son working so hard in music ministry. Your post helps me remember that the instruments in my house are dedicated to the Lord and that they are there for His purpose! I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time I trip over a misplaced cable :o) Thanks for this wonderful post!

  14. My sacrifice comes in the form of a rat my daughter has fallen in love with. Welcome to the family Smokey!!

  15. Beautiful post! RIght now we have our sister in law and her baby living with us..its temorary, just not sure how long the tmporary will be…so we all make it fit..my husband and i sleep with one of our kids and my oldest shares his room with his little brother so that we can give that extra bedroom to her…

  16. I cried when I read today’s encourage. I broke! Like a dam I BROKE! This may have seemed so random to many but God used it to speak directly to my heart. My husband and I are starting a church called Rescue. We are currently in our home. We jam 50 people a week into our home! This past week I got rid of some of our furniture; moved the living room to the dining room and the dining room to the kitchen so that our living room could become the sancuary. It was just necesary! My best friend said “No” you shouldn’t have to do this.” I told her my desire is to do this. I love being able to give up somethng for my beautiful Savior. Then in (In)Courage today God said “I noticed”. Thank you God for sisters that can impart in to my life! Thank you sisters for obeying the Spirit!

  17. Oh wow, I love it when God confirms things he’s doing in our lives. Amber I loved your comment. God bless you.
    For me it’s sacrificing my fun free-time schedule to be aware of what time it is, to be on time, and to share our one car among three drivers. I’m to be the organizer: I who among the three am weakest at it. Is God laughing? But then that’s how my family made me practice simple math, by keeping scores when we all played games (everyone was concerned that I got that math added up right!) so maybe practice is the only way to improve after all and the trick is to find the happiest way to do what you have to do.

  18. My homeschool classroom is my drum set! Many times I have looked around our school room thinking about all the pretty things I could fill it with instead of the old desks, many shelves of books, and piles of paper that clutter it now. The thought quickly passes as I remember what I have been given. God has blessed me with three beautiful boys to lovingly teach in that space. No fluffy pillow, comfy chair, cotton throw, or decorative vase could ever be worth as much as the minds and souls of my children.

  19. Oh, Melissa. I love that someone’s life was saved by the Lord pushing you out of your comfort zone and moving your furniture around.
    You are precious. I have had SEVERAL things happen in the past few days that were frustrating, inconvenient, hard on my husband and one of my kids as well. But when I sat back today and let my Savior sweetly show me His reasoning in it all, I was so thankful for every hoop and heartache we had to go through. It is always worth it if His hands are all over it.
    Thank you for sharing this post.
    You Rock… no pun intended;)

  20. Love it! My husband is a youth pastor, so my living room carpet is stained & the furniture arrangement is about cramming as many teenagers as possible in there, but I love it (most days).
    Praying for your family & that God will bless your new church.

  21. This rocked my world 🙂 (Pun intended.)
    Our oldest son has been woodworking and sanding and packing his creations to ship out and we have stacks of bubble wrap and sawdust and wood *everywhere* and somedays I feel a bit spinny with it all somedays….
    Your story of sacrifice moved me in the deep places — our God moving you.
    This was truly beautiful and a testament, Melissa.
    *Thank you*….
    All’s grace,
    Ann

  22. Awesome post! I’m a stay at home mom with three little kids, I am learning that the biggest decoration in my home is my attitude. No one notices the clutter when the kids are laughing and everyone is smiling and no one notices the clean kitchen floor when I’m yelling. Thanks for the reminder… God sees things in a different light and I have a hunch He thinks the drums are just what your living room was missing!

  23. Thanks for sharing, Melissa! My husband and I are campus missionaries in a large city, and have made several “sacrifices” in our living situation for the sake of ministry. It took some getting used to, but we really love our lifestyle now – even when it means that hosting out-of-town friends looks more like a campout in the living room! Thanks for the honesty of your post – love seeing pictures of a beautiful home taken apart to serve others. Many blessings in your efforts to bring God’s kingdom to your new city.

  24. I am a worship leader for a church plant, my son and husband are musicians…I literally have instruments in my way most every day…but your blog summed it up so well….it’s not an inconvenience, its an HONOR! thanks for this post! much love, Nikki

  25. Googling drums and living rooms and I have come across your lovely blog. Thankyou. I have a living room with a drumkit, piano, 2 violins, a trumpet, a guitar, a child’s guitar and a keyboard. It is our music room but I also want it as a ‘pretty’ sitting area. It is also converted to a guest room frequently.

    Your blog was a reminder to me that I need to see the drums for what they are. An interest of DH’s, a gift from God (literally, he mentioned at church he always wanted to learn and God supplied) and not see them as the clutter that my decorating eye percieves them as.

    Thanks from an Aussie family