A House or A Home?

I sell Real Estate. I've sold and listed at least 100 properties. My husband and I have owned 3 different houses. Our first house was a single wide trailer. After being married for 6 years, we were able to build a house. Then 16 years later we bought our current house.

I have loved and tried my best to care for each of our houses. I love to keep it clean. I try to keep it picked up as much as I can. I try to be creative and decorate as well as we can afford. I really love working in the yard, planting, mowing, and digging in the soil.

There's a great satisfaction at the end of my day, when everyone is in bed, and I walk through the house and it's CLEAN. I can sit on the couch and enjoy a clean quiet house.

Psalm 84:4 says, "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:..." After being a parent for 26 years, I still have to learn and remind myself what's really important. Do I want to live in a house or a home? There is a difference. A big and important difference.

Houses come and go. They loose and increase in value depending on the economy. If you change jobs you can buy or rent another house. If, God forbid, your house burns or is damaged, you can build another one. But your family.... particularly your children.... they can not be replaced.

I love my house. But I want to live in a HOME. I want all who dwell or visit in my house to be at HOME. I want them to be blessed because they were here.

Dear Lord, Jesus, forgive me for loosing focus sometimes. Help me to make my house a HOME.

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Drama

A couple weeks ago I was asked to give one word to encourage wives/mothers in our Sunday School class. I could think of hundreds of words, but I was to just pick "one". I chose the word "Drama".

I. Let go of the Drama... or "lighten up" "loosen up". Learn to laugh at most things.
A. For some this may be hard. Don't put the same level of emotion and energy into every event. If EVERY event is a big deal...what makes the true "big deals" any different?
B. Take care of a situation, but try to laugh through as much as possible. Don't necessarily laugh in front of the children or husband. But when you leave the room...laugh at what just happened. (example: My youngest child is a 9 year old boy. He had spent a lot of time in time out a few Saturdays ago. After just getting out of time out, he came outside and repeated the same behavior that put him in time out just a few minutes before. So we repeated the time out, this time a little longer. He had a digital clock in his room, it was 4:40 p.m. I told him to stay on his bed till 5:00. I went outside and in a few minutes there stood my son. I asked him, "You're time is not up!" He quickly responded, "Yes, my clock says 5:00!" Man my mind had 10 seconds to reason what was going on. I said to this 9 year old boy, "You touched your clock!" He looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry, Mommy." I sent him back to his room with me close behind. When I came back outside I laughed and told my husband, "That was a good one. He's too smart." He changed his clock to 5:00 he thought that would get him out of time out sooner. hahaha)

II. Hold on to the Drama..."fire up" or "tighten up". Hold to some things and don't let go.
A. This is hard to do too. Because this is for situations and events where you hold tight regardless of the outcome. Outcome isn't the primary concern here, principle is.
B. Few things need to be in this category. emotionally, physically, and spiritually you can't deal with everything every time at this level.
(Example: You can't hold tight and yell and fuss and insist for shoes left in the living room floor at the same level as you would if found a playboy magazine in your teenager's room. Children should pick their shoes up. Children will need to be reminded to pick their shoes up. But the "DRAMA" shouldn't be there.

Bottom dollar...keep a lot of stuff "small stuff". If you respond with every issue at your highest level...then when an issue does need your highest attention you're children will probably not respond.

When events become Big Stuff...
1. hold to your faith
2. hold to your family
3. hold to your friends
4. hold to each other

A Little Behind

I guess I'm not so good at this journal stuff. I have a lot of ideas sometimes....too many to actually follow up on. I tell one of my sons that he's the worse procrastinator in the world. Just maybe he takes some of that from his Mom. (shhhhh don't tell him I said that.)

Presidential election this year was the craziest I've ever seen. But I'm glad it's over. I watched way too much Fox News. I'm reminded of where my faith is. And to whom my faith is in. Thank the Lord my faith is not in Washington nor in the President of this great country. I'm not saying that because the next Pres. is a Democrate. I'm saying this reguardless of who is in the Presidential office. No one can totally completely heal, save, and raise up this nation. BUT...there is this man Jesus....Amen!!! He can totally completely heal, save, and raise up this nation. How do I know? First of all because He's done it before with folk around him. And He raised Himself from the grave. Second, because He's done a great work in my life and in the lives of my family and friends. Praise God, He is on the throne. I will honor and pray for the President as I always have. But I will depend on God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to comfort me day by day.

Bugging me

Sometimes kids...sometimes other people's kids...sometimes your own kids just bug you. We have been fighting not kids, or at least not lately, but bugs. We have a take over of some kinds of grass flea. They swarm you when you go outside. They bite. They won't die. They won't leave you alone. We spent Saturday, spraying around the house. We set off a fog spray thing in my potting shed. What still happens on Monday afternoon? FLEAS!!!! Ough!!! After you knock off 20 from your legs you feel buggy for hours. I hate that feeling.