With all the milestones and changes taking place in our lives right now I was reminded that no matter where we are as a family our house isn’t just a structure where people come and go. It isn’t just a place that will always need cleaning, laundry folded, yard work, etc… It is not just a structure with walls and a roof, it is a home. This thought brought me to Proverbs 24:3-4, By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. When I began to study this verse I realized that our home is truly built on its faith in the Lord. The treasures of the home are not necessarily monetary things but its the treasures found in Galatians 5:22-23 which are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control that really penetrate the walls of a home. I have been abundantly blessed with all these treasures in our home.
We have made it to the last child in the nest and as I sit writing this blog I realize I miss noise!!!! Sometimes it is eerily quiet in this house and I MISS THE NOISE! However, the silence gives me an chance to really reflect and thank God for the moments HE has provided us to make our house an authenic home. For several years we were privileged with the opportunity to host kids into our home for nine months at a time to play hockey in Atlanta. They always came in twos and the friendships and brotherhood they established with our kids even now amazes me. Its still a blessing today when we receive a text, Facebook message, or phone call from one of them checking on their “Georgia Family”. There were many times during the chaos Lance and I questioned what we were doing (especially when we went to buy groceries for a house full of boys) but now when we hear from those young men its a true confirmation we did a good job making our house a home even for kids who were thousands of miles away from their own homes and families.
As times are changing and the kids are getting older and starting life on their own the most important thing I want them all to know is our home is always open. It is a place they can come to laugh or cry. We are always here if they need us. In good times or bad. Family is designed as a permanent relationship, parents are responsible to be the leaders of our troops. This takes a great deal of love, patience, planning, sacrifice and so much more. To make this all work, I believe we must first trust God and ask HIM for help to fulfill our responsibility to our family. The bible says in Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house the builders labor in vain”. The Lord is the only one that can truly give us the gift of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control that we all want and we are all so desperately looking for in our home. It has taken me a long time to realize this truth. There have been many ups and downs in my life. There have been many times I have felt like a complete failure as a wife and mother. Things have changed so much for me now that my hope and strength comes from Christ Jesus. HE tells me in Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. We are certainly not a perfect family, we have many faults but we are loved by a perfect God. HIS love has built the walls of our house. We still often fail as parents but thats ok because HIS grace and mercies are new each day and for that we are BLESSED and THANKFUL!
Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, We will serve the Lord”
Grounded in Grace 