Freedom in Living Color

July 29, 2012

Home Expressions

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." - Jane Austen, in Emma

Like many of you, I hope to create a beautiful and comfortable home. I don't want to just have a place to live, but I want to have a home. From my experience, the way that you decorate and care for your house changes the atmosphere and feeling of the whole place. It shows people how much you care for others and displays a part of your personality. For me, the comfort and expression of my home is very important. I love expressing myself through the colors and textures of every room. I love being hospitable and welcoming people into my house. Having people over and enjoying the company of friends is a passion of mine. That is why I want to make sure that people feel welcomed and comforted by being in the place I call home.

I love finding new ideas and ways to decorate my house. I am definitely not a millionaire, so there is always the budget to consider, but I do what I can. Decorating and designing a home can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work. In my experience, it takes time, thought, dedication, and, if you are like me, fighting your own indecision. That is why I have decided to dedicate this part of my blog to home design. I may post pictures I've found that inspire me, something I've learned, new ideas, or my own success stories. Whatever it may be, the goal here is to create a home that expresses my personality and welcomes others on a manageable budget. Hopefully, my ideas will help you too.

I Do

"Marriage isn't about happiness; it's about holiness." - Gary Thomas

I recently embarked on one of life's most exciting, intricate, and intimate journeys - marriage. To many people, it would seem that marriage is more about one's own happiness than anything else. We live in a culture where love is only a feeling, weddings are commercialized, and marriages are presented as princess fairy tale stories. What could be hard about that? If that's all that I had ever learned about relationships, I would think marriage is about my happiness too. However, over the past year and a half, I have come to realize marriage is so much more than happiness and butterflies in my stomach. Marriage is about holiness, not happiness. God uses marriage in our lives so that we can become more like Him.

Marriage isn't about you. It's hard, and it takes work. Love is more than a feeling; it's a choice. Lasting love doesn't just happen. Sometimes in marriage you have to choose to love your spouse. In a marriage, it's not about getting what you want, but giving what you have. Marriage requires selflessness, love, patience, kindness, and commitment. Marriage is a holy covenant made between a man and woman before God. I have had the privilege and honor of beginning that covenant, and I am able to live it out every day with my husband. As I choose each day to lay myself aside and love someone more than myself, I continue my journey to become more like Christ. In essence, marriage requires us to deny our natural selfish desires and live in a way that is similar to the lifestyle of Jesus.

In case you are wondering, I am in no way trying to say that marriage is awful. I couldn't be happier than to be married to my best friend. Our marriage is full of love, laughter, tears, trials, and wonderful memories. Every morning I open my eyes and find that I am more in love with my husband than I was the day before. I am only saying that there is more to marriage - and more effort that needs to be put into marriage - than our culture teaches us there is. Marriage isn't about you; it's about Him. I am so thankful that God uses marriage to make us more like Him.

By no means do I declare myself an expert on marriage, love, and relationships. I know I haven't been married for very long. All I will declare to be is a caring wife who hopes to learn, grow, and bring glory to God in my marriage. I know that I will make mistakes and that I don't know everything, but I am excited to learn. It is my desire to have a wonderful marriage. I hope to have an ongoing romance with my husband and to have a relationship that honors God. That is why I have dedicated this page of my blog to posts about marriage and relationships. This is where I will post entries about this exciting adventure that my husband and I have begun. Feel free to read if you would like.

One last thing, if you haven't read the book Sacred Marriage, I encourage you to do so. It will change your perspective and your marriage.

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
1 Peter 1:13-15 ESV