Come On In
Welcome! You don't have to have a perfect house to offer a warm welcome. Are the Legos scattered and starting a mutiny at the moment your guests walk in the door? Just smile and kick them aside (the rogue Legos, not the guests). Maybe it's a little embarrassing. But shrug it off. We've all been there.
Of course, we want our homes to look inviting, to beckon to the weary, to be a cozy haven. I don't know about you but when things are tidy, I just feel better all over (which is ironic because... 12 kids and all). I'm not referring to the stiff, magazine perfection that makes people feel like they can't sit or even breathe for fear of messing up something. The most gracious place embraces a comfortable medium between messy and meticulous.
The most gracious place embraces a comfortable medium between messy and meticulous.
I'm not just suggesting we create an inviting space for friends and neighbors. Our homes should especially welcome and serve our own people. Our husbands and children need a place of rest and refreshment too. And bless our hearts so do we. So, we strive to tame our environment and beautify our surroundings. That is a worthy challenge
Photo by Larimar Lens
We can smile and offer what we have.
But even if we are in a stage of life that we struggle to SEE the calm, we can still BE the calm. When the neighbor drops by we can graciously roll out the red carpet despite what else covers the floor. When our husbands walk in the door we can offer respite and rest even if the house doesn't exactly look relaxing. I'm not suggesting we shirk our housekeeping duties. Work diligently to do what you can. But don't refuse to offer refuge just because everything's not in place.
We will never reach perfection this side of heaven. That includes the physical state of our houses. We can craft a plan to make good steady progress toward taming our domains and making our homes a place of welcome, rest, and beauty. And we should. But no matter how far along we are in that pursuit, we can be the welcome, the peace, the calm. Legos may be lurking but we can exude the confidence of an apt word, a hospitable hug, and a "come on in" attitude. We can smile and offer what we have.
Jesus is the best welcome of all.
Photo by Larimar Lens
Because what we are offering is Jesus. And He is the best welcome of all.
