Do you ever find yourself discouraged or even overwhelmed by the state of your home? I know I have found myself in that place more than I would like to admit! The messy rooms, the imperfect decor, the never-ending dirty dishes, and the repairs I couldn’t seem to keep up with have threatened my sanity at times.
My expectations for my home were often too high and my ability to maintain it all seemed to be lacking. I’d get one room pulled together and another area would fall apart. Can you relate?
Would I ever get it together? I often wished I could figure out how to arrive at the perfect house so everything in my life and home would be just as I dreamed it should be. Looking back, I realize how silly and even destructive that was.
Isn’t that just how we feel sometimes? We want to wish away our reality and head off in search of something we think would be more perfect for us? But what if the home we already have is the home of our dreams? Isn’t what we really want a sanctuary, a home where we can nurture our family, welcome guests, and be creative in an environment that inspires us to serve the Lord well? That seems like a dream house to me!
The pursuit of perfection is futile, but our desire to create a home that is warm, welcoming, and comfortable isn’t necessarily a sign of discontentment. It can be a blessing to the people we love. In spite of the imperfections or limitations of our house, a love for our home is something we can nurture right where we are. The love we show our home should be a reflection of gratitude to God for what we have. Our homes are a gift.
Here are five easy ways to show a little more love and gratitude for your home!
1) Start a Cleaning Frenzy
Cleaning frenzies are simple. Set a timer for 15 minutes, turn on some fun music, and just start putting things away! Before you know it, the house is cleaner than it was 15 minutes earlier. You can step back and smile at how much tidier the room looks. You’ll be amazed that it really wasn’t that difficult at all to clean it up and make it “better than it was.” You just had to get started. You might even be having so much fun with your progress that you’ll be inspired to continue the cleaning frenzy a bit longer.
2) Set a Pretty Table
Give yourself the gift of a pretty table. I believe a nicely set table shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions. Mix and match your dishes, use what you have for a tablecloth, or treat yourself to a fun new serving bowl. Add a simple centerpiece, whether it’s a bundle of cheery flowers in a vase or a few candles. Enjoy dinner at the table tonight!
3) Tidy Your Room
Making the bed is one of the simplest ways to show a little love to the home you have. It doesn’t cost a thing and doesn’t take more than a minute or two. When my bed is made, I feel more together and more prepared to tackle the day ahead because I’ve already accomplished one simple task. I feel more at peace and less frazzled when I don’t have to see a disheveled bedroom throughout the day.
4) Decorate Your Door
Add something welcoming to your door to inspire you every time you come home. What would you like to come home to? A pretty wreath? A simple welcome sign? A cheery front door can remind you daily what a blessing it is to have a home to come return to.
5) Start a New Tradition
Family traditions give your home a sense of warmth, heart, and soul. They create positive memories associated with your home. Start a fun new tradition for the ones you share your home with. Maybe it’s special dinner music you play as you prepare a meal together, or maybe you begin a weekly game night, or start a tradition of reading to each other after dinner.
It’s the little things that make a home more beautiful!
What part of your home are you thankful for today?
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Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Melissa,
I’m thankful for my sunny kitchen in the morning. I love how the sun comes streaming in through the windows and the breakfast table is a cheery place to be. I try to find place mats on sale and I switch them up throughout the year – giving my table different looks. It keeps mealtime fun….kind of like dining in a different restaurant lol. Same with my front door. I find after season sales and keep them for the next year. It’s fun to have a new way to welcome friends to our home and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Great ideas!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thea says
Hello Melissa,
I appreciate your post. You have inspired me! My favorite place is at my dinning room table I can look out my window and see a beautiful willow tree. I enjoy seeing it dance in the wind. 🙂 thank you for your inspiration. 🙂
Michele Morin says
This post is so encouraging to me–a decorating-challenged woman.
One small thing that helps me to feel “finished” in my bedroom is the decorative pillows on our bed. Forcing myself to stop and arrange something pretty on the bed (completely useless and impractical, but lovely) makes a difference in how I feel about our room.
And I agree 100% about the table cloth. I think my kids even appreciated a pretty table and adjusted their behavior to match.
Thea says
I like your idea about putting decorative pillows on the bed. I have to decorative bears I have been putting on the bed since I read what your post and it does make me feel the room is more special. 🙂 Thanks for your comment post!
Joey Rudder says
Melissa, I had to smile when I read about the cleaning frenzy. My mom and I have talked about “working music” for years. Sometimes I’ll call her and she’ll answer out of breath, yell into the phone, “Hang on. Gotta turn my music down,” and then come back to the phone smiling (I can’t see it but I can hear it in her voice 😉 ). Turning music on and “going to town” as mom says to clean up makes the task so much more fun! And you’re right, we can get a lot down in 15 minutes. I usually do that very thing right before my husband and daughter get home.
I’m thankful for our living room, more specifically our couch and cozy fleece blanket. I read Scripture there every morning, curled up in that blanket, visit with friends on the couch every Thursday morning, and gather with my family in the evenings where I am again snuggled in that blanket (and usually fall asleep once I get warm…I miss so many movie endings).
Thank you for a great post. Blessings to you!
Debra says
Melissa – thank you for your sharing this morning – we did a full home renovation last year so I have been adjusting and enjoying every square inch – I have 2 favorite spots – the first, like Joey, I too, cozy up on my livingroom couch with a blanket and read from one of my devotionals every morning – the second, I sit, as I am inspired to do so, at my dining room table which is covered with a white lace table cloth, and houses 3 IPADS, a laptop, a bible, 4 devotionals, several books and printed materials – I am writing about my lived experience with complex PTSD through a spiritual lens – it has been through God’s grace and love that I am moving to a place of healing without pharmaceutical interventions – I have been so blessed! Blessings to all xo
NJ says
Dear Melissa,
What good and godly thoughts you have about our homes! And very good ideas about how to care for them and our attitudes! What a help and blessing this is to me right now, as I am overwhelmed with backlogs of things to do in my home after much illness this winter and a trip. I finally had a day yesterday that I could work on the backlog, so I feel better. Thank you so much for your timely and very important topic!
Blessings to you!
Brenda says
This is timely. — No joke, I came downstairs this morning to ice cream all over the island (and floor!), and pizza too. Plus, BB’s spilled all over the island and floor. And BB guns and baseball caps and backpacks and shoes spilled every which way. Needless to say, this isn’t the kitchen I left when I went upstairs last evening! Is it possible to be frustrated and thankful all at once? If so, that’s me. 🙂 I’m so, so thankful for all the life that happens in our home. And, sometimes annoyed that I’ve apparently done a poor job of teaching these people to clean up after themselves. sigh. — But, still, in answer to your question, that’s the part of my home I’m most thankful for…the life within it. The life I prayed for back when I had no idea what I was praying for. 🙂 ♥
Penny says
This was a refreshing post Melissa thank-you for your delightful words. My home is a work in progress but I am very grateful for it. One of my absolute favorite spots is being out in the garden………..
Blessings to all,
Penny
Beth Williams says
Melissa,
We need to be thankful for everything God has given us. Our house/home is something to be thankful for. We have a roof over our heads & nice beds to sleep in. Admiral McRaven has a book “Make Your Bed Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World.” He talks about doing just one thing-making your bed. That could lead to doing more things & before you know it you’ve done a bunch of things. If you have a bad day you could come home & see one thing you did right. It only takes a few minutes & what a difference it could make in your life.
Also love “work out” music. I am forever turning on music & cleaning the house. Love to sing & dance to good Christian music. You accomplish some things: house cleaner, got some exercise & praised God. Makes me happy all the time. Heard about the cleaning frenzy before. The idea is that you take a portion of a room & tidy it up. Don’t look at a problem in the whole, but tackle it bit by bit. Soon the problem will be solved.
Blessings 🙂
Rebecca Jones says
About to tidy my room, everything on the door fades in the sun.
Renee Swope says
Loved reading this Melissa, as I struggle with contentment in our new (to us) home that Im longing to paint, decorate and renovate a little, but budget limits have everything on hold. Your words helped me step back and remember, even when it’s just like I want it, it’ll never be perfect or even finished. But there are lots of things I already love about this house and I need to focus on those instead of changes I’d love to make. I think a few fresh flowers from Trader Joes on our table might be all I need! 🙂
Pearl Allard says
Melissa, I appreciate this so much! I helped a family member today stage a few rooms of their house as they get ready to move. I had so much fun putting together happy places in her home, and then came home to my – well, less than happy places. Mess, dirty dishes, haphazard and incomplete decor… Was so tempted to be discontent. But instead I focused on one thing – I made a spring wreath that cheers up my hallway. So even if the rest of the house isn’t quite as lovely as a staged house (or not even remotely close), I can stand in my happy hallway. Lol Always appreciate your posts, Melissa!
Elsa Seidel says
The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful home. With the welcoming sun now in Daylight savings time, I can see the snow-capped Tetons upon arising. One of my favorite spots is the large island in the kitchen, one end sometimes a catchall for mail, magazines, etc. But the rest is “open” for baking, my passion. We have a home business and most clients comment on the view, and sometimes the aroma if something has just come out of the oven. Sure, there are things we would like to improve, change, but the house is warm, inviting, and hopefully we are using it for the Lord.
Diane says
I am such an idea person! And this home, bought 22 years ago, was all we could purchase at the time. Certainly not my dream home, we have added on and done a couple major renovations….but I have more in mind! Thanks for the reminder that it will never be perfect, and that my goal should be comfort and love and peace, not Pinterest, HGTV, and Country Living magazine!
To God be the glory in all things, including how I view and maintain my home!