Thankful for our Home

Recently I had occasion to be in a large, beautiful, un-cluttered home. It was a lovely experience! There was plenty of space, high ceilings, beautiful paint colors, lovely furniture, and no papers or schoolbooks cluttering the kitchen counters and table. Not a one! Visually it was a feast. The homeowner was a gracious hostess, freely opening her home and sharing from her plenty. I experienced fleeting thoughts of "if only...." but quickly set them aside and was able to enjoy my time there without comparing. While there, we had fun talking about room arrangements and I picked my hostess's brain about different ways I could arrange our family room. Our family room has always stymied me a bit, because there is really only one place for the couch and I like a little change now and then. :-)

She came up with a great plan and I came home all excited to try it. Wisely, I realized that I would have to broach this subject very carefully with my husband, because at the very least it involved moving the tv, with the possibility of moving it from the family room altogether. I knew this would probably be met with some resistance. So I decided to wait and ponder the plan some more, and pray, and make sure it was something I TRULY wanted before mentioning it to my man.

As I was pondering I thought of several downsides to this new arrangement. It would be visually appealing (in theory at least!) but not completely practical for the way we LIVE. It would cut the family room in half, sortof, not leaving the children much open space to play. It would involve the stretching of extension cords across many spaces where no outlets exist. Ideally it would involve the purchasing of new furniture, which is certainly not going to happen any time soon! It would also involve moving our large IKEA bookcase out of the room, the one we store virtually all of our daily school books and picture books in. I realized that it won't work. At least not yet. It's not compatible with the way we use our home.

We truly LIVE in our home. At any given time there are toys, throw blankets, books, and socks strewn about the floor (what is it with boys ripping off their socks wherever they happen to be?), schoolbooks on the table, piles of things for me to correct stacked on the kitchen island counter, dirty dishes in one side of the sink and clean ones drying in the other side, a bowl of something yummy being mixed up on the counter, laundry sitting on the couch waiting to be folded...... you get the idea. We have 7 people in our family who are all, at this time, in our house 24/7. If you have several children yourself and are not a homeschooler, imagine all of their school books, reference materials, library books, supplies for projects, notebooks, and school supplies making a home in your kitchen. Then add the teacher's desk. That is us!

Would I change it? Not at all. I love our life! I love being home with my children all day every day. I love learning with them, and seeing the light bulbs go on in their heads when they "get it". I love reading together, snuggling on the couch together, comforting the sick ones and watching the healthy ones entertain. I do not love the mess, but I realized that the mess is part and parcel of our chosen lifestyle. If I had the lovely manicured home that never got messed up, that would mean my life was different, and I don't want my life to be different. I love it the way it is!

So for now, the lovely room arrangement will have to wait. The ease with which my family uses our space is more important than any satisfaction I may receive from the new look. There is a time and a season for everything, and this is not the time or season for a beautifully put together interior.

Meditating on Philippians 4 recently, these words struck a chord with me:

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:11-13

How I thank God for His gift of contentment! Since things have been boiled down to the bare necessities for me, I realize once again how little I truly need to be happy. By God's grace I can say with Paul, I am learning to be content whatever the circumstances. Thank you, Lord.