“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.” Ecclesiastes 5:1

Listen.

Do you hear the Lord?  He is speaking.  Are you listening?  Am I listening? Do I hear Him?  I was reading this verse in Ecclesiastes this morning.  I love Ecclesiastes, especially chapter five.  And this morning it spoke to my heart…again.

Read this verse again.

“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.” Ecclesiastes 5:1

Am I doing evil and not knowing it?  Am I a fool?  Do you see it?  I am to draw near to the Lord to listen.  Anything else is foolish, evil.  Honestly, I talk to God way more than I listen.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  Communication is two sided.  Relationships must involve both partners.  It is clearly important for us to share our thoughts, words, needs before God.  He specifically tells us in John 14:13-14 to ask Jesus anything!  So he values our desires and words placed at his alter.  But, how can I really know my husband if all I do is talk to him and rarely listen?  (This was convicting for me…as I do most of the talking in our relationship.  If you are a woman, I bet you do too!)  How can I know my friend if all I do is talk about me and what’s going on in my life?  How can I know God if all I do is tell him what I want and about my issues?  Wow.  Did that hit home for you?  Because it sure did for me.  Really…my life isn’t all about getting my wants and needs heard.  It isn’t all about telling others about “me”.  Honestly, I’m tired of “me”.  I’m tired of talking about what I want and need.  Truth is…life isn’t about me.  At all.  It’s about God.  So, does this verse make sense to you?  Quit being foolish and draw near to God to listen.  Let’s read the rest of the story.

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3, 6-7 “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God.  For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.  For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words.  6Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake  Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hand?  For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness.  Rather, fear God.”

I highlighted what God is telling me.  Basically, “Quit talking Alissa.  Let your words be few.  There is emptiness in many words.  FEAR GOD! Fools use many words.  The wise fear God.”  I don’t think God is telling me to quit talking altogether, but I’m reminded that I like to talk more than I like to listen.  Is it any wonder that in kindergarten my report card said, “Alissa likes to talk.  She has a hard time listening. ”  True story!  I believe God gave me this gift of words!  But, as with all gifts, we must learn to use them well, for His glory! And the reality is that it is more important to listen to God than to tell Him constantly what I need.  He already knows.  I tell him I want His will, but how can I know it if i’m always the one talking?  “Listen to me.  Listen to my word.”  I repeatedly ask my children, “Are you listening?”  Today, God asked me the same.  Are you listening to me Alissa?

Are you listening to God?

Lord, show me my evil and rebellious ways!  Show me how I am more interested in what I have to say, than what You have to say!  Lord, I thank you for your truth spoken to my soul.  Reading this verse this morning brought light to day.  There clearly was an illumination of God’s will for my life.

Did you hear him speak to your weary soul? Are you seeking God’s will for your life?  Are you listening to Him?

God’s will means following God… even through things I wouldn’t have chosen for myself.  But he promises that with Him my yoke will be light (Matt 11:29).

I either believe His promises or …

…I don’t.

Do you want to know God’s will?  Do you want to follow God?  Then your answer must be a resounding, YES!  Yes, I will follow You, God!

Am I listening for His instruction?  For direction?  I must listen more than I speak if I am to know the will of God.

Luke 10:37 says in speaking of the Samaritan man who helped his neighbor, “And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.”  Go and do the same.”

God’s commands usually start with a verb.  God sets us up with an impactful story, a message that hits home.  Then he says “do something”.   Go is one of those verbs.  He doesn’t just tell us to stay where you are and do what you can for me.  He says, “Go!”  Get up.  Do the business of God.  If you are waiting for God’s command on your life, do a word search on “go” in the bible.  God’s people didn’t stay put.  They listened.  They went.  They did something.  They did God’s work.

Then I read Luke 10:39, “She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet listening to His word.”  The rest of the chapter, as many of you know, is contrasting Martha’s doing with Mary’s sitting.  Jesus tells Martha in verse 41, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Which is it Lord?  Sitting or going?  How can we do both?  Well, it’s not either/or.  It’s both.  But, like Martha, we get it mixed up.  We set out on the going and then when we get lost, or distracted, or frustrated, and so we stop and ask God to help us when we didn’t ask for his guidance in the first place.  God clearly tells us to “sit before the Lord” before we go, before we do…anything.  Oh, Lord.  How I am so guilty of this!  I jump out of bed in the morning on mission to get “stuff” done, to do the things that are before me, that are for —me.  Then at the end of the day, I wonder why I’m feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.  I wonder, “Why don’t I feel His Holy Spirit working in my life?  Why isn’t God changing me?”

Verse 39 says it all–Listen to His word.

Oh, yeah…what did Ecclesiastes tell me this morning?  Draw near to listen to His word.  Seriously.  I laid flat on my face this morning in my closet and just asked the Lord to lead me as I read His word.  He clearly gave me each of these verses.  Is it any wonder that they are linked together.  Do you ever read God’s word and think,” Wow! Those verses are in total alignment with each other!  And completely apply to my life!”  Well, that is the power of God’s word.

 If you aren’t completely overwhelmed with how God is working in your life, then maybe it’s because you aren’t listening.

I need to listen more than I talk.  Spend more time reading God’s word.  Listen for His instruction.  I must pay close attention and set my eyes on Jesus and then I will see God more in the midst of my days.  If I’m not seeing or hearing from God–it’s because I’m not listening.  I’m not looking for Him.  Because friends, He is there.  Always.  Everyday.  He has never left us.  I’ve just been like Martha and crowded Him out with my to-do list, my “preparations”.  I’m always “getting stuff done” so I will have more time.  And yet, time is slipping away while I am constantly “preparing”.  My kids will grow up.  My marriage will slip away.  The people in my life that don’t know Jesus are growing farther away from God.  My relationships will wither.  My life will move forward while I’m busy doing my own work.  What will I miss in my busyness?

If I’m going to set my heart to follow God, to live differently, then I must set my heart on listening to God.  Listening for Him in my day.  Learning from His word and trusting Him with my life.  I must make the sacrifice to do what He is asking me to do.  Living differently is about sacrifice.  Sacrificing my needs and wants for God’s.

If my heart is set on me, my answer will always be ‘no’.  But if my heart is set on God,                                               my answer will always be a resounding ‘yes!’.

Make my heart and mind match up with yours, oh, Lord, and help me to see that “Only one thing is necessary, that I have chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from me.” (Luke 10:39)  Amen.

Are you listening to God?  What is His word speaking to you?  If you aren’t hearing from God, how is the busyness of life interfering with the most important relationship you will ever know?  

“Death is Nature’s way to remedy all things.”–A Tale of Two Cities

I read that today while reading the book A Tale of Two Cities.  I just sort of camped out on that sentence.  I read it and reread it.  It sounds like a solution.  But as I read it, I was struck with sadness.  Death is indeed a fact.  An inevitable truth.  It is assured to each and every one of us.  Every single one of us will come to a moment in our lives, when we will face death square in the face.  Our pastor said yesterday: “Death is the most certain thing there is.  The time of our death is the most uncertain thing there is.”  So true.  I think we all take for granted that our lives here on this earth are unlimited.  We live as if we have an abundance of time.  We don’t.  I don’t.  You don’t.  Today, I have one less day to live my life than I did yesterday.  We are all alive, but are we truly living?  What does that even mean?  What does it mean to live fully alive?  To embrace our days, our lives with fullness?

As I sat there reading this sentence, I just thought it shameful to believe that death is the cure for all things.  But as I looked at it from Truth’s perspective, I saw this…

Christ’s Death is God’s redemption for all!–The Bible

“Image courtesy of africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Death isn’t a remedy.  It’s a consequence.  A consequence of sin.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through Christ’s death, we have life! Jesus Christ defeated death and rose from the grave.  It is through his sacrifice we have forgiveness for our sins and abundance as His children!

Romans 6:4 “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

The goal of our lives is not to live life and then die.  Our heavenly Father’s plan for us is to die to ourselves, die to our sin, so that we can truly live!

Romans 6:6 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin–because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

His death gives us freedom.  Freedom from sin.  Freedom from death.  Freedom to fully live!

Do you know this freedom?  This freedom from God through His son Jesus Christ?  The freedom that saves you from eternal separation from the God who adores you?

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Death is not the end of all things.  Death, for believers in Jesus Christ, is just the beginning of an eternal life with our Lord.

Romans 10:13 “For , “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Do you know your Lord?  Do you know Jesus Christ?  Have you believed in His Great name?

My prayer for you today on Easter is that you will experience all that God has given you through Jesus Christ.  His grace, His forgiveness, His salvation.  Jesus Christ is ALIVE!  And through Him, that you would find freedom to live.

Happy Easter!

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

I clearly remember sitting on my bed, tears pouring down my face.  I was exhausted emotionally and physically.  Two months prior I was confronted, actually blindsided, with the possibility that I was going to be unable to birth my own children.  Now, as I lay face down on my bed, that possibility had become a likely reality.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to adopt.  I knew, even before I became a follower of Jesus Christ, that I was being led to adopt children.  And when this life changing news came to us, we were already starting the process to adopt a baby through our local Christian adoption agency.  But there is something inside most women that just kind of expects to be able to get pregnant and give birth to their own biological child.  I believe it is a desire God has naturally given us women.  He created us to be fruitful and multiply.  He created us to be caring, loving and nurturing.  He created us to care for, love and nurture a child.  That desire has been growing inside of me for many years and finally, I was ready to make it come true.

Did you catch that?

I was ready.  But God said….not yet.

But sadly, I wasn’t in a place to hear “not yet”.  I heard a BIG, FAT “NO!”

I was devastated.  I was angry.  I was beside myself.  There was nothing I could do.  This was completely out of my control.

And sadly, instead of seeking God, I retreated into myself.

It saddens me to look back on this time of my life.  It was a very lonely time.  Yes, my husband tried to help me.  He comforted me and tried to give me my space and time to grieve.  But I still felt very alone.

I was ready to have a baby.  It seemed that ALL of my friends were getting pregnant and having babies.  I think everyone in my town was pregnant right then.  Or so it seemed.  I wish I could have said that my first instinct was to run to God and seek His face, His word.  To be strengthened by His love and strength.  To be encouraged and find hope in His plan for my life.  Wouldn’t that have been great?

But the reality is, I turned away.  Not forever, but for a season.  And I believe God knows this can and will happen.  We are so overcome with grief and sadness that we turn away from anything good.  We become filled with despair and our hope we once had, starts to fade.  And as we sink into a deep pit that seems to grow larger with every passing day, it becomes harder and harder to come out of it.  And then, one day, we look around us and we have literally pulled away from everyone.  Everyone that loves us and wants to help us.  They really don’t know what to say.  They don’t know how to help.  So this chasm develops between us and those that are trying to love us.

We have completely isolated ourselves.

And inside our isolation, we have convinced ourselves that this is where we should be.  We believe somehow, that this is reality.  No one can help.  No one understands.

And if we stay there long enough, we start to believe that no one cares.  That we don’t matter anymore.  That this is our new normal.  We begin the work of building those walls around us, so that even as we may have to enter back into this world, we can keep people out, can keep ourselves in.

Isolation slowly defeats and can eventually destroys…you and your relationships.

Isolation is the act of isolating something, a state of separation between people, a feeling of being disliked or alone.

You don’t have to be locked up in a room somewhere for years to be isolated from others.  We can lock ourselves out right in the midst of the ones we love.

Isolation defeats.

You and I were made for relationship with others!  We were never meant to be alone, nor to carry the burdens of this world on our own.

I am sad when I look back to the beginning of our infertility journey.   I wish I wouldn’t have isolated myself from the ones I love.  I am sad because I thought I could handle it myself.  The truth…I couldn’t.  I didn’t.  I didn’t grow in my relationships through this struggle, I grew farther apart from the ones I loved.  I wish I would have let them into my heart.  There were a few who may have known the external reality of what was going on in my life.  But I didn’t share any of it with my family, those that God created to be the closest to me.  Did I want to protect them from being sad?  Did I want to not have to be reminded of the heartache of not being able to have a baby myself?  If I didn’t tell anyone, then I didn’t have to talk about it every time I spoke to them.  Was I preventing them from having to worry about me?

I don’t really know.  But I have learned that isolation from others will eventually defeat us.

Our natural inclination when we go through disappointments, struggles and pain is to pull away.

But here are…

 10 reasons why isolation will defeat you.

1. Isolation breeds hopelessness.

2. Isolation leads to selfishness.

3. Isolation turns away from God.

4. Isolation loves misery.

5. Isolation thrives on disappointment and defeat.

6. Isolation says “you are all alone”.

7. Isolation discourages.

8. Isolation damages relationships.

9. Isolation emphasizes disappointment.

10. Isolation can lead to depression and anxiety.

Truth: Isolation will do nothing for you.  It will only defeat you.  Can you identify with any of these? 

For me, it’s easier to pull away during times of stress.  But I’m learning over the past several years, that I NEED people.  I need others to encourage me and point me back to the God who loves me and never leaves me.  I have felt defeated.  I have felt like my life was over, that my life was going to stay in the pit.  I have learned from experience the effects of isolating myself.  And so, may I remind you to reach your hand out, share your struggles, be vulnerable, ask for help, ask for prayers, allow people to walk beside you, let others into your world.

And most importantly, please don’t pull away from God.  He loves you.  He longs to restore what is broken in your life.  Why did I choose the word defeat?  Well, to defeat something is to “thwart the plans of”.  To thwart is “to hinder or prevent the efforts, plans or desires of”.   Satan uses isolation to defeat us, to prevent the efforts and plans of God.  When we walk through trials, it is not without God’s almighty power.  We may never understand the “why” of our circumstance, but we can always trust that God has a plan and will bring about good in the midst of our life struggles.

Genesis 3:9 (MSG) God called to the man: “Where are you?”  

If you are sitting in the midst of isolation right now, imagine God speaking to your heart, “Where are you?”  He wants you to come out.  He’s calling you.  He’s drawing you to himself.  He wants you to be known.  You are important.  Come back and be found.

We also need to spur one another on toward God, who can and will fill us up and bring restoration to our broken lives.  Be someone’s cheerleader.  If you know a friend who is pulling away and you don’t know what to say or how to fix it…you’re in luck.  Our God does know!  Listen.  Encourage.  Pray. And remind them Who God Is!  

1 Thes 5:11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

And never, ever believe them when they tell you they just don’t need anyone.  They do.  And they will be grateful for your love and persistence.

Have you ever isolated yourself during one of life’s trials?  How have you felt defeated by isolation?

Image courtesy of Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

I try to pick a theme every week for my preschoolers.  This week we are learning about birds.  I printed off some photos of different birds from the computer and we cut them out and glued them onto a big white piece of card stock.  We named them all and then I thought it would be fun for us to listen to all of their different sounds on the computer.  We learned the calls of eagles, parrots, hawks, chickens, roosters, etc.  The kids were enamored.  Even Cruz, my 18mo old sat there and listened intently.  Gavin, my oldest, was fascinated at the different sounds of all of them.  Then I said it.

They are all birds, but God gave each of them a different voice.

God gave each of them a different voice.

Read that again.  As the words were coming out of my mouth, I paused.  I looked up and said, “That’s it!”

God gave each of us a different voice!

We are all women, but God gave each of us a different voice!

I have dreamt of writing and speaking to women for years!  But whenever I begin to pursue this desire and calling, I get caught up in the question, “But, who am I?  Look at all the amazing women out there speaking out for the Lord!  What do I have to say that is any different?”

But today, God used my son as an instrument of His Word.

God gave each of US a different voice!

I am unique!  You are unique!  God has given us a voice.  A voice to proclaim His goodness.  A voice to proclaim his salvation to all.  His voice to proclaim His grace and mercy.  Everyone of us has a voice to tell of who God is.  And yes, every woman who raises her voice for the name of the Lord proclaims the same message!  Amen!  We don’t have to create a new message of hope, He has already established His story through history, today and forevermore!

The difference lies in the fact that we also have a voice to share that is uniquely ours.  No one else before me or in the times to come will have MY STORY.  No one else has my unique experiences, emotions, pain, joys, struggles or story of perseverance and triumph!  Now, we may have similarities in each of these areas,  but I am packaged perfectly and uniquely me.

And if I am packaged uniquely and perfectly, then what is inside must be a gift.  A gift that only God has given me.  And what are we to do with a gift?  Absolutely!  We are to share it.  Share it with your family.  Share it with your friends.  Share it with the world.  The women of this world need to hear your message!  They need to hear my message!

We each have a story.  A story, however, is just a story until God reaches in and transforms the story teller.  The transformation that the Lord performs in me, in all of us, is what our story is all about.  I have been transformed by the almighty and wonderful God.  And because of this transformation, His story and my story become one.  My story becomes yet another story of God’s grace, faith and love.   Oh, how thankful I am for this new story that is unfolding in my life.  Everyday is a new part of the story.  When we are children of God, our story never ends.  Our beautiful story will go on for eternity.  This is the story I long to share.

He has given each of us a voice.  A different voice with the same message.  Am I living my life as a story?  Do I really understand that what happens in my life today, makes a difference for tomorrow?  You see, our unique story plays a part in a much bigger story, something so much bigger than ourselves.   God’s story. God’s kingdom IS the Big story.  But my part is important and essential.  I am important and essential.  God’s story will continue with or without my part.  But, what an honor and privilege to be able to join him in what he is doing in his kingdom.

And this is what I’m supposed to do: Tell God’s story using my story. Use my voice to share God’s.

What a privilege.  What an honor.  He has given all of us a voice.  He has called all of us to use this voice.  Each of us in our own unique way.

You  might think this is a  post about the the things I love about MY home.  Well, it is and it isn’t.

This is me being thankful.  Thankful for the things around me.  I’m a stay at home mom, so I look at every room of this house every day.  And after awhile, it just becomes a house.  When we moved 2 years ago, I wanted a bigger house.  A place to accommodate our rapidly growing family, a place for our family to have room to stay with us instead of at a hotel.  But lately, I look around and after awhile, honestly, a house is just a house.  It’s a shelter.  Filled with so much stuff, right now, I can barely navigate through all the toys and clutter.  It has to be cleaned.  I have to continuously organize.  I do laundry twice a week (yes only twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays), I have to make meals, I have to vacuum.  And in the midst of all of this, it’s easy to just think of this place I live in as a house.  A house I am always behind in, always striving to get a handle on the clutter.  A house I just seem to become frustrated with and feel overwhelmed in.

Really?  Why do I feel this way?  It dawned on me recently that I have lost my perspective.  I have lost the joy.

Rather than seeing the place I live as a house, I need to be reminded that this is my home.

I need to be thankful.  I have prayed for this life for many years; being a wife, a mom, staying at home and loving on children.  This is the life I have dreamed of and desired my entire life.  I don’t want it to become a business, something I am responsible for and have to manage.  Now, don’t get me wrong, there are an immense amount of responsibilities and management that need to be done, but I don’t want to miss the purpose of a home.

I think of a book by children have, A House is a House for me.  But, a home is not just a house.  A home is so much more than that.  I want to look more deeply into the place I spend the majority of my life.  I want to see beyond the surface, the day to day, the structure of my house and see it as a place I call home.

And I think it starts with being thankful.  Seeing your house for more than just walls and rooms, but seeing it as a place where your family will grow and love and live together.  It’s where memories are created and creativity is expressed.  It’s where we all learn about life and how to develop deep meaningful relationships.  It’s a safe place.  It’s where you belong, when you may feel like you don’t fit in anywhere.  It’s where you can safely “fail” at things and realize, the importance of trying again.  It’s where you learn to say, “THIS IS WHO I AM!”  Where else can we learn to be ourselves but at home.

So, here are 10 Things I Love About My Home

1. A wonderful kitchen: This means I have a central meeting place for my family.  This is where I spend the majority of my time.  This is where I fix PBJ sandwiches, where I wipe beautiful faces after dinner, where I sweep multiple times a day because I have 3 messy eaters! We hang out in our kitchen.  This is where we have meals together, where we are teaching manners and the art of communication.  The kitchen is where we can celebrate friends, and family.  It reminds me that families grow around the kitchen table at meals and gatherings.  There will be many conversations around our dinner table over the years.  I want it to be a place of substantial “meat”, not just meat we eat, but a place where we grow and learn and pass on wisdom.  It will be a place that my children will learn responsibilities and learn to help.  I am thankful for this “center” of my home.

2. The walk-in closet:  This means I live in America and have an abundance of good things, and all my needs are met.   As big as our closet is, it reminds me to live with less.  It is big enough for my husband and I to be in there at the same time.  We have conversations there.  It is  also a space so perfectly created for a prayer closet.  A space where I can just go to sit with God quietly. As I look at the burn marks on the top of the cupboard  (more on that story later), it reminds me to be thankful that our house just didn’t recently burn down and not to pack our suitcase by candle-light.

3. The kids bedrooms are close to the kitchen:  This means I have children to love and pick up after and train and just lead through life.  I am thankful to be able to hear their laughter and tears from the kitchen.  They are just down the hall.  I love being able to take a few minutes while I’m cooking or cleaning to just pop in and play with them.  They are filled with things that will help them explore their creativity and help them enjoy their childhood.  I look forward to watching their rooms change over the years, where they can exert some of their independence and imagination.  I look forward to those bedtime conversations and prayers that will impact my children and us for the rest of our lives.  It reminds me that they will all grow up and one day they will move out of these rooms onto bigger adventures in life.  Oh Lord, thank you for reminding me that these rooms will be empty sooner than I ever can believe.  Thank you for helping me to enjoy their little messes and who they are becoming.

4. Everything is on one floor: This means we can have races and games of chase!  We have a super long hallway which is awesome for races!  I love it when one of them pushes the other in the baby stroller.  It’s hilarious!  We have it on video.  You can hear there screams of joy all throughout the house.  I’ve thought of putting furniture in the dining room, but it would really detract from our fun and interfere with the running.  And always running!  I am thankful for children running and screaming through the house.  I have great memories already of pushing kids down the hallway in laundry baskets, laughter and squealing.  And I’m thankful I never had to worry about anyone falling down the stairs in the middle of the night!

5. Great pantry: This means I will not go hungry.  I am thankful for so much food.  Oh, how I take this for granted. We are not in need of anything.  I am thankful that the kids love to stock the shelves.  They still enjoy helping me unload the groceries (I’m enjoying this while it lasts).  We live in a country where we can get organic, healthy foods.  I can find gluten free foods for Cruz easily.  I just keep praying God gives me an overwhelming desire and joy to cook!

6. The double oven: This means I have plenty of room to cook for guests in my home.   Yes, I struggle with cooking.  But I wanted a double oven, even though I don’t necessarily utilize it as much as I would like.  But I LOVE having people over for holidays.  Easter is especially a time that I love to have friends and family come over.  The more the merrier.  When I see it in my kitchen, it reminds me that we are blessed by the people in our lives.  And I’m very thankful for my father-in-law who always helps me make the turkey for Thanksgiving!

7. All of the windows: This means we can enjoy the sunshine even indoors.  Our last home just didn’t allow for much sunlight.  I love sunshine.  We are outside as much as possible.  I am so thankful that we have windows that I can clean.  More windows, more sunshine!  Especially during the spring in Texas, I love to open the windows and feel the fresh air blowing in.  When I open the windows, it’s like the house can finally breathe.  I hear it saying, “Ahhhhh…thank you.”

8. There is an extra room for our family to stay when they come to visit: This means that both of our parents are still alive and healthy and love to come see their grand babies.  I am thankful for family.  I’m thankful to be able to provide a place for them to enjoy and interact with us.  I love having room in our home for people to stay with us, especially since all of my family is in Iowa.  We have room to practice hospitality and I so look forward to teaching that to my children.  What a lost art!

9. Spacious living room: This means that we have a large space to do life with our family and with our friends.  We have a small group in our home from church that comes once weekly.  We ‘do life’ in our home.  I love the living room.  It’s open and inviting.  The kitchen looks into the living room so I can be doing dishes and watch the kids roughhouse with their daddy.  It’s a great place to be.  The living room is where I envision our family just hanging out together, playing board games (love them) and just resting.  I look forward to movie nights and popcorn and right now, the daily gymnastics that occur on the couch!

10. We can see the sunset out our front door: This means that we can be reminded nightly of a wonderful day and of God’s creation.  I love front doors.  What a symbol of being welcomed and invited.   We live on the edge of town, so even though we are in a neighborhood, when you look out our front door, it’s like we are in the country.  When we open the front door, we see nature and freedom.  We have a beautiful view of the stars.  It’s so peaceful and serene, unless of course there are wild hogs out front.  But mostly serene and beautiful.  Thankful for where God has placed us.

So, there are my 10 things I love about my home.

You see, it’s not really about the house, but about what is going on inside my home.   Home is where my heart is.

Home isn’t just where you live, it’s where you love.

Next post, I will be delving into what God’s word says about our homes.  The word HOME is used over 200 times in the bible!  Stay tuned to Part 2 and we’ll learn the truth about what it means to have a home.

What do you love about your home?  What are you thankful for?  Please share below!