Good morning! :) It is so nice to "do" Mondays with friends, soooo... happy MMM! As you may remember, last week was the last Songs for Saplings CD giveaway. It is my pleasure this week to announce the winner...Congratulations Traci from The Garber Family! I am so happy for you - in more ways than one! ;) Head on over and congratulate her, would you? (If you didn't win, hop on over to Songs for Saplings and grab yourself some CD's - they are SO worth it!)
Now onto some motivation...
Today's motivating post comes from my dear sister-in-law Renee. She is the mommy of three absolutely adorable kiddos, and she also happens to be an inspiration to me in the wife department. I know you will blessed by her words!
Top 10 Ways To Give Life To Our Home
1.) Retrain our tongues to give words that encourage, comfort and edify others.
2) Offer life-giving and grace-filled words to husband and children.
3) Make our homes a place of grace where mistakes and sins are not met with anger but with love and hope.
4) Decorate our homes to make home a place of beauty. Beauty raises life above mere existence.
5) Develop necessary cleaning skills and habits; clutter causes stress.
6) Face our anger, anxiety, fear and depression. Our homes reflect our mental/spiritual/emotional health. Ask the Lord to replace these emotions with faith and hope. (Check out core lie series for more info.)
7) Plan regular times away from home to rejuvenate and gain perspective. (A quiet time at Starbucks or Wegmans for 1 1/2 hours has been my most recent favorite.)
8) Persevere in planning fun activities for family on weekends or ordinary weekdays.
9) Play praise or worship music in home to lift everyone's spirits. Our new family favorite is Michael W. Smith's "A New Hallelujah". (Even King Saul in the Bible, when the Holy Spirit had left him, was refreshed and calmed by David's worship.)
10) Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or bringing spiritual/emotional/mental 'deadness'? What can I do to bring life to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?
I loved the opportunity to present these ideas to you; however, it was also a difficult assignment. All of these suggestions have risen out of a heart that longs to be this kind of woman, yet has consistently failed in all of these areas. Some suggestions are on my 'impossible prayer list' of what I'm asking God to do this year in my life! I have seen the ill effects of doing the opposite of what I've written. I know that I don't want to live that way anymore! Instead, I'm striving to develop diligence in these areas to bring life to my home flowing over from the One Who gives life freely to all who ask. May He encourage us in our life-giving.
Your Turn!
- Share some advice, wisdom, practical applications, tips you've learned, etc. that you think would benefit and motivate others.
*Make sure to link directly to your MMM post and then link back here!
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18 comments:
It is 9pm Sunday night here in the Great Northwest and this was JUST what I needed to start out the week right! Got to have the right perspectives & motives! Thanks for sharing. I too desire to be be this kind of woman! Help me Lord.
I agree! Just what I needed to hear to start my week off well. Thanks for sharing:)
Thank you for visiting my place the other day! I love this site.
Our Bible study last night was about taming our tongues in the home and controlling that anger, so your motivations were right on for me. Have a great week!
Speaking kindness,
Krista
I've got to say that between you and today's entry At The Well, God has gotten my attention! I was working on something for later in the week, but God pulled me forward to polish it up for today. Today's blog spoke to much of what God has been dealing with me on about being a godly example of the "older woman" who's home is an example and a place of peace and life. Thanks for sharing!
I love these ideas and I love that you admitted you have not yet mastered them, but are a work in progress.
Blogging is a great place to organize our thoughts and help remind us of those things we are fighting for. Good for you! Keep fighting and keep pressing in. There will come a time when you will say, "I remember how hard I had to fight to do this and now it's second nature".
((blessings!))
Wonderful, wonderful post! Sometimes I think you're reading my mind! ; )
These are great ideas-I've been working on these kinds of things too-thanks for sharing!
I really love these kinds of post. I'm always looking for tips and ideas on developing my homemaking. Be Blessed!!!
Great list/ideas!!! I may print these out! Thanks for sharing :)
great words of encouragement!
i'm all about turning up the music to change the attitude of the house!
#3 is something i NEED to remember daily!
thanks again :)
Thanks for recommending Songs for Saplings. I downloaded the CD this morning!
Thanks for this - so helpful and heartful!
We all fall short and as often as we think perfection exists, it only exists in our Lord and savior.
I have printed this list to paste into my journal. I am constantly trying to watch my tongue.
What a great way to start off the week! I need to work on the entire list (well, actually I seem to have the getting away to Starbucks once a week down - lol)!
I really like the idea of looking at what's causing stress - that's where I need to start. I think dinnertime and clutter are my biggest areas to start with that cause stress in my home.
And that means it's time to get off the computer! Thanks for sharing this today! Blessings to you!
What a great post Sarah!!! I just love your blog so much, you keep it so real while inspiring us all to live for the Lord!
Love these tips SO much!
Well, your list is getting copied and put on my mirror and my fridge and my steering wheel and in my note book. These are all practical things we should all be striving for, but don't worry if you are not there yet. We are all works in progress! The first ones I have to work on are #1 and #2 (appropriately). By the end of the day, using grace-filled, positive words kind of slip my mind all too often.
That Renee is a wise one! :) Planning fun things as a family is always a good one to bring the family together. And it really pays off when the kids are older. And I like the idea having lots of praise music going....we have done that and my kids know so much of God's music in their hearts!
And yes, I do "know" you. Actually I found your blog from your proud father in law, when he taught our Sunday School class. He said you had a blog, and I knew I had to check it out! I remember Jesse and knew he is now working at the HS. And I knew you SIL's Sarah and Renee quite well. Small world. :)
Enjoying your blog.
Ooops I need to proofread my comments!
.......know your SIL's, I ain't no girl with bad English! :)
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