January 27, 2010

• {they say it’s in the details}

  I’m just now getting around to getting my Christmas decorations down…~

  I was telling a friend that I don’t know if I’ve become more relaxed in my old age,
  or just grown more lazy.
  She assured me it was the first.
  I hope so.
  But I’m afraid that second one factors in there somewhere too..

  While packing everything away I was struck by the fact that tearing things down is always so much easier than putting them up!

  Even as I’ve been trying to fill in the empty holiday decor places here and there, and get things looking how I want them,
  it’s occurred to me more than once that trying to create. build. piece together. and invent, takes time….
  effort. thought. attention. and simply, stopping to notice the details.

  Amazingly, the total opposite is true of tearing things down – - 
  it takes hardly no time at all,
  minimal effort,
  we can do it without alot of thought.
  not that much attention.
  and who cares about details at that point!  
   
  Proverbs 14:1 has been coming to mind alot throughout the whole taking down and putting back up process around here lately ….

  “A wise woman builds up her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.”
  
  
  And for the past several days I’ve been ruminating on these questions-

  “What am I doing every day to build my home?”

   and even more importantly…

  “What am I doing to tear it down?”

  {click on the detail image to enlarge}

  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  Ya know, I can put alot of effort into making my home look cozy and inviting.
  I enjoy that. The little things…
  A picture frame angled just right
  A inspirational word or saying on the wall.
   
  But as I’ve realized in a new and sobering way lately - 
  who cares if I have darling pictures of my kids, if I’m not letting the little faces inside those frames know they matter to me…
  or cute inspirational words and sayings hanging about, if I’m not living a life that enforces what my walls are saying!

  Building a home is about so much more than what is SEEN.

  It is the attitudes portrayed.
  The spirit that is felt.
   
  And as I hear more and more alarming numbers of families and relationships and homes falling apart
  I’m reminded that just because something “looks the part” on the outside we shouldn’t assume it’s so~
  we need to be paying close attention to what’s underneath the surface… far more than what’s above it!

  I think about seeing Shayne’s work…
  custom made patios, walls, driveways, outdoor living spaces -.
  such gorgeous productions, but I know the grueling amount of work behind the beauty.. 
  things of good quality {that endure} don’t just get thrown together.
  You have to take time to notice and bother with the little stuff.
  To be intentional.
  And yes.. it isn’t always the easiest job in the world. 

  I want to care about the details of my home..
  the real details.
  Which is way more than decorating and baking and cleaning and doing the obvious.

  My home is so much bigger than the four walls I look around and see.. 
  it’s what’s taking place inside those walls,
  and greater still, WHO it is that happens to be in them!

  I haven’t exactly been the best home builder, in many areas~ I see that in myself.
  But I want to do better.
  And that’s the beauty of the whole thing…
  when you’re in the building business, there’s always room for improvement! 

  I sat down and made a list of ways I recognized that I was tearing down,
  and also a contrasting list of ways I was building up .. and ways I could do more.
  I was going to write it here, but thought since I already know what it is I’d like to hear YOUR thoughts instead.

  Give me your ideas and experiences on how we can become better builders..
  and ways we might be tearing down, even without realizing it.

  No matter what category of life we fall –
  wife.mother.grandmother.daughter.girlfriend. 
  we’re all on the same amazing journey of womanhood,
  learnING together what it means to build things of eternal value.

  “Your home is the single most important arena on earth to change a life for God.” 
   

  “By wisdom a house is built,
          and through understanding it is established,
                  and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. {Prov. 24}
  

   
  Happy Building,

  amber.

  p.s. don’t know if anyone ever listens to my playlist at the end.. apparently i never do, until tonight that is when i realized the last song was some weird rapper thing that was pretty raunchy~ not even sure how it got on there? but wanted to apologize if that was offensive to anyone. i admit i had to laugh though.. after all the songs about God and worship and love and aspiring to greater things suddenly there’s some rap song about sex!!??  : / oh, dear. /  

  • 1:16 pm
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