What Makes a Home

The question of the year:

"Are you all moved in?"

My typical answer, "We've got everything unpacked and are getting settled."

But then I can't help but wonder "What does it mean to be settled?"

(Source: A Beautiful Mess)

 I've had quite a bit of practice answering this question, but I'm never all that satisfied with my answer. I mean, all my things are in our house, and I have almost everything where I want it to go. We eat, sleep, and play here. We are basically living in this house, but it takes more than all that for it to really be home-at least for me it does.

A home is all about the people that are in it. Not Jared and myself necessarily, but the experiences that happen with the people in our home.

I found a short quote one time, and it has been my desire for our home ever since:

Lord, help me to build the kind of home where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.

From day 1 of our marriage, Jared and I have said that we want our home to be a place for people. We want our home to be a place where people can come and feel at home. Oftentimes this means picking up before people come over, but it doesn't mean it is spotless. It means taking the time to light a candle, but it doesn't mean having the most expensive candles. It means offering something to drink, even if the only option is water. It means sitting down and taking the time to hear someone else's story.

It takes time to build a home like this. We still have a lot to learn, but what I do know is that a beautiful home isn't about the decorations on the wall, or the food on the table. A beautiful home is about the conversations cultivated on the couches, the problems worked through over coffee, and the lessons learned over a slice of pizza. A beautiful home is found in taking the time to invite someone into your own life even in the midst of the crazy. It is found in being okay with allowing someone else to see you in all your imperfections.

I pray that we always take the time to make our home a place where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.

(Source: The Inspired Room)

.love.
Adrienne