Cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, children and chores day in and day out can get discouraging and tiresome. We wake up everyday and are faced with all of the same duties as yesterday. This makes it even easier to lose the vision of virtuous, beautiful, homemakers. We forget why we do what we do. Our mission here at Young Keepers of the Home is to keep that vision alive and refreshed. Our homes and all that we do in them is a sacred calling from the Lord, given to us as women specifically, why? Well let’s just say that we are the only ones who can meet the qualifications! Men….eh, not so much.
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Our homes are a palace to our loved ones-if we remain stead-fast and faithful in our calling. We have the power to make our men and children feel secure, loved, and enveloped in Christ simply by having a joyful heart while doing the dishes! There are several ways to make our homes feel like a sanctuary to everyone who enters our humble abodes. I’ve made a fun list that might spark your imaginations and inspire you.
1. Play worship music all day-setting the atmosphere is key to making your home peaceful. You can do this by playing a worship station in the heart of your home-such as the living room. You can listen to worship on Pandora, Spotify, K-Love, maybe you have albums on your favorite Christian artists? Anything will do the trick!
2. Keeping the house tidy-this is what drains us, I know! But a quick 10 minute “sweep up” of the house 2-3 times a day is simple and can really make things more pleasant for everyone. This can be difficult with young children, dinner calling your name and school books waiting to be read. But it will make the difference! 10 minutes, 2-3 times a day, you can do it girl!
3. Scent is Key! Studies show that 75% of emotions are triggered by smell which is linked to pleasure, well-being, emotion and memory. I find this fascinating and quite true. I love candles, like, I’m literally overly obsessed with candles. I have like 8 candles in my room and am always begging mom to buy a new candle every time I stop in the candle aisle at the store-weird, I know. My point is-light some candles or plug in a Glade product because this contributes more to the home atmosphere than you may think!
4. Light is Life! Light puts the rhyme in all of the poems that you hear about home, it is the beauty that never fades in our minds and it should always be bursting through our windows, our hearts, our faces and our light bulbs (kidding about the last part)! Make sure your home is always bright in every way possible! Open the curtains, smile more and laugh often… All of these contribute to having a cheerful, less stressful, more beautiful home.
5. Laughing is the best thing you can ingrain in your family’s minds! Wouldn’t it be amazing to be remembered as the girl, the wife and the mom who was always full of laughter? This gives you a brighter countenance, an unexplainable feeling in your heart, a cheery outlook on life, and it’s contagious! Home is not the same when laughter is lacking.
6. Flowers-it’s always a good idea to have some flowers (fake or real) in the home at all times. It just gives the home a little color!
7. Something baking in the oven-nothing beats a homemade baked something! Some days this cannot be obtained, but try to throw some french bread, a cake, some cookies or biscuits in the oven from time to time. These seem to give the home a soothing feel.
8. Family photos on the walls-a lot of people have halls, walls and boards chuck full of photos of their families. Some people may not have this option or simply haven’t gotten around to hanging pictures up. But they are great reminders during the day of what your family is made of!
9. Family devotions and prayer time are one of the most important things you could ever do to invest in your family’s well being. Don’t skip this! Try for at least 5 minutes a day to spend in the Word and in prayer with your family. It is what makes the family able to operate!
10. Your heart is the heart of the home. I don’t know who you are-whether you are a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother or all of the aforesaid mentioned, but being that you are a woman this message is for you. You cannot in any way, make a home a sanctuary if your heart is not in the right place. If you have bitterness, pride, or hatred in your heart for anyone or anything, all of your efforts to make your home nice or peaceful or even functional, will avail to naught. Ask God every morning, every afternoon and every evening to empty you of yourself so that you might be a willing and clean vessel that the Lord can pour His Spirit into-so that you might be used for His glory. This is a moment by moment process-especially in the life of a homemaker! It can be tough to remember or to have a desire to do, but it is the only thing that works and it is the only thing that can get you through the day side by side with Jesus.
I hope this list has given you an idea of what you can do to make your home a blissful experience for all who enter! Please try them out and let us know what you think in the comments! We love hearing from all of you.
Blessings on you, your family and your home,
~Lisa
A Lovely Calling 