25 Nov Inviting Home or Decorating Stress?

Sherry longs to have an inviting home, especially over the holidays. Yet it seems that each holiday season her perfectionism gets in the way. She wants the home she sees in a magazine so she spends more than the budget allows, causing tension in her marriage.

She snaps at her children because they wreck the decorations. She eats half of the homemade cookies because she is so stressed. She wants the cozy feeling she is sure the perfect home will create. Instead of enjoying the holiday season, she breathes a sigh of relief when it is finally over.

Inviting – to be warm, open, and welcoming – communicates one aspect of how God has uniquely created women.  And although an inviting home can communicate warmth, an inviting home does not mean that it is perfectly decorated for the holidays (or even decorated at all!). It also does not require that she have a spotless house. However, it does require that her heart is tender to Jesus. Just as the Proverbs 31 woman proactively takes action, her actions flow from a core belief reflected in Proverbs 31:30,” she is a woman who fears the Lord.”

Sherry’s goal this season is to put the condition of her heart first  and let the condition of her home flow from a heart which honors the Lord. If her heart is tender to Jesus, she will be inviting (and so will her home).

What will you focus on this season: the perfect home or a complete devotion to Jesus? What are some practical steps you will take this season to create an inviting heart?