Love it or List it

 I enjoy watching home improvement shows...I know...what can I say.  One that I used to watch a lot was called Love it or List it.  That show frustrated me, though, because in most of the episodes I watched, the owners ended up "loving" the house...ugh...that drove me crazy.  Even the spouse who wanted to move initially, would end up "loving" the remodeling so much that they would also be convinced to stay.

I couldn't stand it! so I had to stop watching it.

Strange, right? I know.  I just get anxious when it comes to the thought of getting too attached to a house.  If you ask Dan, he'll tell you that the phrase:  "let's sell the house," comes out of my mouth at least once a day...every single day. I have issues...I know...

Anyway...as I read chapter 4 in the book Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson, I started to think about this thing...and something in the book made me pause and consider my particularity when it comes to my aversion to the thought of getting attached to a house.  The author says:

"We've forgotten what it feels like to be at home in our homes." (p. 113)

Is that what has happened to me?

It's not about the house, how big, beautiful, stylish, organized, cleaned, etc. etc. it is.  Like Erickson reminds us, for the most part of His life, Jesus was basically homeless...but He knew how to make a home, because He is home.  The life of Christ shows us that a home should provide "an atmosphere where heavy-hearted people can unleash their burdens, find refuge, and be fully fueled and supported so they can go back out into the fray and do God's work in the world." (p. 113)  Home is where the Light of the World shines to make darkness retreat and where God is revealed to all who come in.

I don't know if I have ever made a home...

My focus has always been on the building, the house, the material things inside of it.  I don't know if I have ever, truly placed my energy into shaping the spiritual aspects of home.  I lost my childhood home in my early forties and that has caused me to reject the thought of getting attached to a house...but...has that heartbreaking incident also caused me to ignore the fact that home is where the heart is?  Have I neglected the cultivation and nurturing of an atmosphere that promotes well-being? Have I forgotten to invite Jesus to dwell in my house?

Perhaps, it is time for me to "love it." Maybe it is time for me to stop being afraid of losing the house, and just direct my efforts to creating an atmosphere that reflects the holiness of the Spirit who dwells in it as I honor Him with everything that goes on inside my home.  Like the book author says: "from the movies we watch to the songs we listen to, from the money we spend to the activities that command our best attention - every yes and no we give with our time, talent, and budget should declare that Christ is an unseen but ever-present participant in the culture of our home." (p. 121)

It is time to remember that a house is nothing without Jesus.  Therefore, I should take the author's advice and "be in the Word, and make the Lord my focal point."  

Question to ponder: Besides being in the Word on a daily basis, what other things can we do to "love" our homes and make them show that Jesus is the center, the focal point?