Building my Home in 2016



Everyone’s got their goals for the new year. #firstdayoftherestofmylife style, right? I’ve got a few goals for myself, too. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working towards something, as long as you’re not setting yourself up for failure. I am hoping to lose a little of my tummy and gain a little arm muscle before my brother’s wedding in April (in which I am a bridesmaid and I want to shriek with delight every time I think of it!). I am hoping to spend time in the Word every day. I am hoping to declutter and organize my life a bit. And PB (Pastor Bryan) and I are hoping to buy a home of our own this year. Talk about a major goal. This one gives me a little anxiety sometimes, but it also brings a whole lot of excitement and intrigue as I think about plans for wall colors, a gallery wall, a new bed (all PB wants to accomplish this year is the purchase of a king size bed for my sleeping calisthenics, haha!), creating a little garden, and just organizing my own space. I get all the feels when I see a cute little cottage-y home for sale. It feels like the purchase of a home will be the first day of the rest of our lives.

However, the Lord has been speaking to my heart about building a different kind of home this year. I can get so caught up in working, organizing, planning, and dreaming about my life that I forget about what’s truly important. I focus so much on having more space to entertain that I neglect to entertain my own purpose. As I was approaching the end of 2015, looking forward to planning a physical home, I was challenged to consider how I am building my heavenly home. What am I doing here on planet earth to bring down a little bit of Heaven and build into what truly matters- the kingdom of God? What am I doing to genuinely bring God glory with my life each day? I have allowed myself to become too distracted for too long, and it’s time to get my eyes focused again on what is of eternal value- building God’s kingdom and building up my heavenly home.

So how does this look in 2016? Focusing less on myself and my desires and focusing more on serving Christ through serving others. It looks like making less of myself to make more of Christ. It looks like caring more about others’, and my own, relationship with Christ than about what they can do for me. It will look like becoming a more loving, patient, kind, content, grateful follower of Christ. Not because I need to do these things to be a “good Christian”, but because I care more about God’s glory than my own, and I want to play a small part in building a heavenly home that far outshines any earthly home I could create for myself.

Soli Deo gloria. 

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