I wrote this last year and in light of MOMS Help 911 and Baby Steps, I believe it bears an update and a repost.
How does a woman create sanctuary in her home?
What are some practical steps to begin making a well-ordered, un-cluttered, clean home that is a reflection of your feminine soul.
Creating sanctuary is a process . . . here are just a few first steps to move you toward creating sanctuary in your home.
Defining Sanctuary
The first step to create anything is to define what it is that you’re going to create. . . . a home that has a sense of sanctuary . . . a haven . . . a resting place.
How do these words sound to your soul: comfort, beauty, tranquil, practical, fun, space, relaxing?
Defining Home
Home is that place, that space where you live and the ones you love experience life with you. It’s the place where dreams are dreamed, hopes are shared and discovery of God and eternity are encouraged.
To me, home should be a place of comfort and beauty. Home should be a peaceful, relaxing place as well as a flexible place that offers support and nurture (to provide everything, which is necessary for life and growth). Home should be where children are heard, where they learn, are loved on and cared for, taught life principles and even making messes.
Home is safety, rest, comfort and good food, laughter, and memories.
What is home to you?
Your Heart . . . Your Home
The second step in creating sanctuary in the home is for a woman to evaluate her heart toward her home.
At times, I wonder if some women really enjoy their homes and I wonder if they understand the power of influence that comes from a woman in her home - as they spend so much time running here and running there. Their feet aren’t at home much and it makes me think that they’re busy seeking and finding (pseudo) "life" outside the walls of home.
I love my home and I really love being at home. I am at home at home. My home is my centering place. I find life being in my home. It’s the place where I learn of God, His ways and of His love for me.
It’s the place where I give of myself to those around me. My home is the impetus of my creativity where my feminine soul is expressed on the color of my walls, the organization of my pantry, the nourishment from my kitchen and my passionate thoughts "penned" at my computer.
Are you at home at home?
Your Home
Taking an honest assessment of your home is the third step to create sanctuary. What you want to look for all those places and all that stuff that just does not lend itself to calm, peace, beauty, neatness, and flow. Clutter and stuff impede creativity and they impede the ability to create sanctuary.
Until recently, I had stuff. I had excessive stuff and in looking back, I realize that stuff hinders a woman from seeing what is. Stuff creates clutter – not sanctuary.
Often what we need is someone on the outside that will be honest with us about what they see on our inside. We need someone to love us enough and be willing to help us get free from the stuff by telling us what stuff they see.
My daughters sweetly pointed out my excessive stuff and gently nudged me into releasing my excessive stuff. Do you know how much freedom is to be had with the releasing of stuff exercise? Do you know how lovely simple can be?
After you begin to de-clutter and release your stuff, take another look around your home. Look at each room or area and ask yourself questions like:What needs to change? Can I move freely in and about the room? Is fresh color needed? Does the room need deep cleaning? Is their furniture or other items in the room that would be better someplace else? Is the room a dumping ground for stuff? Does this room smell? Is the room too dark?
Your home says something about you, what does it say?
Soul Habit, Home Routine, Peace
We all have habits it's just that some of our habits need to change. To create sanctuary and become a purposeful homekeeper, we must look first at what our current habits are, get understanding of what drives us and then see which habits rob us of creating sanctuary.
Habits for the soul (Beauty Pauses), creating a Simple Home Notebook help establish new routine for the home and THIS helps to create order, flow, peace, and a sense of security and life. This is the fourth step. . . developing order, habits and routine.
Soul habits are those spiritual habits done to straighten up the soul and reconnect it to God. My journey habits are prayer, engaging in and having permission to REST journaling, taking Beauty Pauses and of course, soaking up (and living out) truths in my Bible. I love Psalms, Proverbs, Watchmen Nee, My Utmost for His Highest, Streams in the Desert. Morning coffee time is my best offering.
Home routines are things like making the bed (I have ours just about half made before I even get out of it. . . and you can figure out how I do that), getting put together for the day – lipstick on (if you wear the stuff), breakfast – daily with my husband, walking (which isn’t totally a habit . . . but, I’m moving toward that goal).
Beauty Pause Habits - Effecting the Sanctuary
The feminine soul was meant for beauty, and yet so many women don’t know they have permission to pause and experience the moment of beauty that God gives. This is a vital step for a woman to create sanctuary in her home.
I truly believe that to the degree a woman is able to pause for the touch of beauty is the degree that she’ll be able to bring beauty into her home, be at peace, experience joy, love order, work hard with her hands, know God and thus. . . create sanctuary.
Ahhhhh . . . .the simple life . . . sanctuary . . . it starts in the heart. . .
2 comments:
I so love reading your posts. It makes me inspired to recreate my sanctuary into a time place where memories are made and lived.
Hi Lylah! I just wanted to say that I finally am in a place which glorifies God, my family, and myself in my newly created sanctuary. It was hard getting rid of some things, but when it came together I knew it was meant to be. Keep on writing Lylah! You inspire people like me!!!
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