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Home & Garden A Lovely Dwelling Place One thing I ask of the Lord this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4 (NIV) I believe we have a daily opportunity to mirror one of God's significant attributes - His beauty. We can do this by creating a beautiful home for our families and ourselves. Not only is the Lord beautiful, but many Scriptures also state that God's dwelling place is beautiful. In Psalm 84:1 we read, "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord." (NIV) In our text from Psalm 27, David declared that the one thing he longed for was to be in God's house forever, and to gaze upon His beauty. King David asked for this because he was refreshed and rejuvenated by the beauty of God's presence. I know from personal experience that as I work to clean and beautify our home, I feel a sense of rest and renewal in my spirit, and my family does, too. When the clutter is cleared away and things are organized, my mind is freed up to make plans and accomplish other goals that are also important to my family and me. One rainy spring afternoon, I asked my eleven-year-old daughter, Celine, to thoroughly clean her bedroom and closets. She worked diligently for an hour and a half. Afterwards she said, "It feels so good to have my room clean and pretty again. I also enjoy reading and staying in my room more when it looks nice like this." Celine also told me that her friend Jasmine once said: "I love it when you invite me over to your house, Celine. Everything is so neat and pretty, and we can always find what we need when we want to use it." Their remarks showed me that even children are refreshed in their spirits by their pleasant surroundings. Of course my isn't always look picture-perfect. By God's grace, however, I continue in my quest to try and keep our home as tidy and attractive as I can. Here are some of the things that I have done over the years to create a home of beauty. [This list is divided into two parts. First are some practical suggestions on how to beautify your home. Next month I'll share tips on how to train your children to help maintain your home of beauty.] BEAUTIFYING YOUR HOME 1. First and foremost, is to keep your home neat, organized, and clean. Even homes that have few decorations become so much lovelier when they are tidy. Clear up clutter. Throw away, or recycle junk mail and old magazines. Designate a specific place for everything, such as: scissors, pencils, glue, school backpacks, tv remote controls, coats and shoes. That makes it easier to return them to the same place after using them. If you change the permanent place of an item, such as everyday dishes, coffee cups, or where the mail or newspaper is placed, make sure to tell your family about the new location. This way you're not the only one who knows where everything goes. If you keep everyone informed about the organizational systems you have set up, they can all help to keep things neat and tidy. Decide which rooms in your home must be cleaned daily, weekly, or monthly, and try to keep that schedule. For instance, you may need to wipe your kitchen counters and sweep the kitchen floor daily, but you may need to mop your kitchen floor only once a month. Different families have different needs. Find a cleaning, and deep-cleaning schedule that best suits your family's needs and lifestyle. Keeping your home clean, dusted, polished, and vacuumed contribute to making it beautiful. 2. Decorate your bare walls. This gives your home an atmosphere of warmth. There are many different things you can hang up on the walls in your front room, dining room, and bedrooms. * framed photos of family members Have your favorite family pictures enlarged, frame them, and hang them up in your front room. If you have children, make sure to hang up their pictures also in the front room, or other rooms, and their bedrooms. This makes them feel like it's their home, too. Solid wood picture frames can be purchased at most department stores for as little as $ 4.00 - $7.00. * artificial flower arrangements (especially made for wall hanging) * oriental fans You can purchase matching oriental fans in various sizes and colors from most import stores. Depending on whether they are made of paper, or fabric, a pair of them may cost from $ 4.00 - $ 15.00. You can mount them up with push pins, or nails. * lace or fabric wall hangings, or quilts * framed prints or paintings * Diplomas 81/2 x 11 solid wood frames (and other sizes of frames) can be bought for just a few dollars. It is usually appropriate to hang up diplomas in your office, or if you have no specific home office, perhaps on the wall above a desk or computer. Hanging up your diplomas can remind you, and other family members of past accomplishments. * wallpaper borders In the home decorating section of many variety stores you can buy 5-10"-high rolls of wallpaper border that can be applied onto a plain painted wall. A 15-foot roll costs anywhere from $6.00-$11.00. To moisten and stick them on to your wall borders is fairly easy, may take an hour or two, but can add color and design to a room. 3. Beautify your windows with curtains and valances. Buy, or sew curtains and valances in nuetral colors, like white, creme, or light gray so they can match various kinds of decor, and also many different color schemes. 4. Use shelves for practical as well as beautifying purposes. When you shop at second hand stores and garage sales, hunt for shelves: tall, short, and the type you can mount on walls. Store books, videos, tapes and CD's on them to clear up clutter. On some of the shelves you can place lace doilies, display fine china, trophies or other items of sentimental value. 5. Decorate your coffee tables. The items you place on your coffee tables can add beauty and warmth to a room. You can decorate them with mugs, vases with fresh or artificial flowers, ceramic pieces, candles, and other artsy items. Here is the place to display the many wedding or Christmas gifts you received but never knew what to do with. The key is to spend wisely as you decorate. Be creative, too. Perhaps there are some things you already have that are tucked away that could be used to beautify your home. Save up little by little, eat out less, and use that money instead to buy some tasteful decorative pieces that you like. We spend a lot of time in our homes, and will be more encouraged to clean them and work productively in them if we surround ourselves with things that are lovely and please us. All of us, whether we work full-time outside the home, or work full or part-time inside the home, can take a few simple steps towards beautifying our homes. We just need to be good stewards of the time, money, and property that God has already entrusted to us. It will take time, care, and creativity to organize our homes and decorate them with the means and abilities we have. Yet in doing so we will experience the blessings of living in lovely surroundings that refresh our hearts and spirits. PRAYER: Lord, help me create a comfortable and pleasant dwelling place for my family, and loved ones who visit our home. Give me strength, ability, and creativity as I work in my home each day. May our home be a reflection of Your beauty. Amen. Jennifer Anne F. Messing was born in Manila, Philippines, and now resides in Oregon with her husband and three children. She is the author of numerous articles and poems published in seventeen different magazines, and recently included in two books: Families Can Bounce Back and More God's Abundance. She teaches writing, is a licensed hairstylist, and a church vocalist. Email: MnJMessing@cs.com.
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