Yet while the clutter and the dirt makes me nuts, cleaning it up is not what makes it a haven. Having a home where my family wants to be is what makes it a haven. Crystal has made a point of reminding her readers of this and a book by the same name, Making Your Home a Haven, by Cyndy Salzmann, has encouraged me a great deal in this area. I am a perfectionist, and a home where a perfectionist lives is rarely a haven! Instead it is a place where everything must be done to ideal specifications, where visitors are only invited when things are up to snuff, and where it all hits the fan if "mama ain't happy". This is a huge chunk of my personality that must be mortified, but like all living sacrifices, I keep crawling off the altar! Cyndy has helped me to put it all in perspective, to see that just as God wants my heart not just my deeds, my family needs a mommy not just a maid.
God willing, we will have a lovely Christmas season, but not because everything gets done in a Martha Stewart kind of way and our house is ready for guests, but because we've imperfectly decorated the tree and the cookies together, sat down each night and talked about the incarnation of Christ, and truly loved as He loved us--by dwelling together.
2 comments:
I like your perspective. Yes, what good is a perfect house when mommy is a nagging maniac trying to keep it that way? That, my friend, is no haven.
The cookies look yummy by the way.
I'm challenging myself to get those projects I've been avoiding done before the end of the year. You should come over and visit and maybe join, too:)
That tree looks so beautiful, I love it! I've been looking at Crystal's Making Your Home a Haven posts...but I admit, it's hard to follow, and have the right spirit. When you've got three little ones around all day-everyday, it's hard to keep the entryway, living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, etc., looking nice (according to my standards, not the kids'!)! Thanks for the reminder!
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