For my birthday a few weeks ago, I was given many great gifts, including books. I love books and they are usually the first thing I ask for when my birthday rolls around.
This year I received seven wonderful books from my Amazon Wish List; three from my in laws and four more from my kids.One of the books I received is The Hidden Art Of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. Published in 1971, this book has many wonderful ideas for bringing beauty, art and music into our homes. (I got a kick out of Mrs Schaeffer talking about her little granddaughter. Considering that I was 6 in 1971, her "little granddaughter" is most likely about my age!)
Anyway, I was struck by one passage in particular:
Interior Decoration, as I intimated before, is not just one's artistic efforts, but is that which your home (even if it is just a room) is. If you are 'decorating' with clothes draped on every chair, with scratched of broken furniture-it is still your interior decoration! Your home expresses you to other people, and they cannot see or
feel your daydreams of what you expect to make in that misty future, when
all the circumstances are what you think they must be before you will find
it worthwhile to start. You have started, whether you recognize that fact or not. We foolish mortals sometime live through years of not realizing how short life is, and that TODAY is our life.
This really hit home with me. We have been living in our home for over 9 years, and it is in no way, shape, or form my dream house. In fact, we bought the house with the idea that we would live here for 4-5 years and then build our dream house.
Well, that never happened. After 9 years, I am still living here with all the dreams I have for my perfect house, and yet neglecting the house the Lord has given me now. I need to not only learn to be content with what I have, but I need to make the most of it! I need to work towards making this house beautiful.
I may never have my dream house, but I should be making the house I have into a wonderful and beautiful home for my family.
What do you think? Do you struggle to get past your daydreams for a future home? What have you done to make a not-so-perfect house into a beautiful home for your family?
3 comments:
I LOVE that book. I read it several years ago, and it really spoke to my heart. Right now, my house has fallen behind. Not so much so that outsiders would notice, but I know. A bout of depression has slowed me down, unfortunately.
I have never heard of this book but that passage you posted really resonated with me... Like, something I should have known but didn't...
Tracy,
I'm sorry you've been feeling down lately. Depression in something I've battled on and off for as long as I can remember. I will keep you in my prayers that the Lord will lift your spirits!
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