A message for the mamas about your homes

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” John 14:23

I lived in the same house for my entire childhood. My mom and grandma operated a preschool there during my youngest years, and it was always the gathering place for friends and family.

We lost that house and everything in it during a fire when I was in college. I still remember walking through the ashes and feeling like there was no longer evidence of who I was. My parents were divorced by that time, and we never re-created a “home base”. My younger sister moved away for college, my mom took a traveling job, and I moved across the country for graduate school. I went through a very difficult time as a young adult, always homesick with no home to visit. 

Now, I am a wife and mama living on foreign soil as a missionary. My family and I have lived in more houses than I can count. We have minimal possessions because we move so often. But guess what, mama? Because of my lack of a secure home base, I have become a great homemaker!

I am not a great house cleaner, organizer, or decorator. I learned to be a homemaker for my family once I learned that homemaking starts within me. I had to learn how to build home in my heart first, rooting the evidence of who I am based on what the Word of God says.

Dear mama, no matter what kind of home you grew up in, you can become a great homemaker today. We were all created for an eternal heavenly home. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then His Spirit dwells in you. Home is already in you! You are a home bearer, and therefore the ultimate homemaker! 

I believe that mamas have a special anointing to bring heaven to earth in the way we create a sense of belonging, love and celebration in our homes. You don’t need fancy possessions to write the true value of home in your children’s hearts. 

Here are a few faith-filled ideas that have created a sense of belonging and warmth in my household, no matter where we live: 

- Setting a table every night with placemats – even if we’re just eating eggs and toast!
- Letting the kids help with dinner prep and celebrating their contributions while we eat.
- Sharing our high and low for the day during dinner. 
- Praying with our children before bedtime.

Remember, sweet mama, you don’t need a special skill set or possessions to usher the love of Christ into your home. Choose one faith-filled idea to care for your home this week, and know that you are bringing heaven to earth for your family!