My husband, Ivan and I just came back from a 3 week ministry/vacation road trip. We stopped by the homes of friends, stayed in many hotels, visited a couple of churches, had a meeting with Chained No More leaders and even spent a few days with my sister and her husband in Little Rock, AR. Delightful trip, but glad to be home.
One thing that sticks out in my mind is our time with good friends in Las Vegas. They live about 1/2 hour from the Strip. The neighborhoods are named and surrounded by stone walls. All the houses are close to each other and look pretty much the same with stucco walls and yards of rocks and cactus. I felt like I was in a fortress.
The difference in the homes was what was inside and the family who lived there. As soon as the door opened and their little girls, Sophia and Tess came running out, my thoughts were drawn away from the exterior of the house. These sweet girls had done some artwork on the sidewalk that was full of love. This family loves Jesus with all their hearts, their conversations are full of grace (well, most of the time) and love. They love to do kind things for others, sing, play and enjoy each other very much (well, most of the time). This family is passionately patriotic and are proactive in witnessing for the Lord. Now, you would never know all of this about this family from the outside of the house. It is what is inside the house that makes a difference. What does the exterior of your house say about you? What does the inside of the house say about you? Is your home full of love, grace, encouraging words, kindness, peace, contentment and love for the Lord or is it chaotic, depressing, dark, unorganized and unforgiving? Psalm 127:1a Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain…”
Look around. What is your house saying?