A Place Of Rest

Creating a place of rest.

Dan was gone for a week on a mission trip, so it was just me and the Mazers. Dan reminded me that a week is really nothing compared to some families, but nevertheless, it was a change of pace.

Of course when Dan is gone, I always have a laundry list of things I want to get done. Nothing real earth-shattering, but I always find things to get rid of, clear out, or clean. It never fails. As I was going through different parts of our home, I was reminded of the blessing it is to have a home. To have a place to come home to and find peace. A place to find rest.

But that is where the challenge lies – making sure that it is a place of peace and rest, not of chaos and disorganization. The world is already filled with chaos and disorganization, so the last thing I want to do is a create a home that is a mirror to the world.

It’s in creating a place of peace and rest, that I am daily challenged with.

When I think about the environment that I want Mazy to grow up in and learn from, I know that the choices I make today, are going to make a huge difference in her life and how she lives her life.

I want our home to be a place where my husband and daughter want to come home to. I want our home to be a place where they can rest and find a sense of belonging and love here. I want others to walk into our home and feel the same way – like they are at home and feel at home.

What does that look like to me?

The minute people walk through our door, I want them to feel grace. That no matter what their past is, what their day looked like, that they will be welcomed with grace and hugs.

I want them to feel like they can sit on our furniture, a lived in home, but not witness stuff-chaos. I like to look at magazine perfect rooms in magazines, but that’s about it. I don’t want people to worry about spilling – I want spills and mess ups to be okay. I want people to feel at home.

I want people to feel loved and served. I may not always have a fresh baked cookie out of the oven, but I do want people to feel loved. Loved enough that they can even go in our refrigerator or cupboards to get what they need.

I want people to feel free – free to just be themselves. Free to be honest. To be vulnerable. Free to laugh. Free to cry. Free to just BE.

Of course there are daily tasks that should be done, like doing the dishes, but I want my family to want to be home. To be thankful for the peace and rest they can find here.

I have a ways to go, but I figure if it’s something I challenge myself with, it’s something I will always keep in the back of my mind, right?