These pictures are of our house, before {left} and after {right} its makeover. It was recently repainted on account of extensive hail damage our house suffered last year. We kind of joke that we live in off-base military housing, which means many of the homes in our ‘hood look the same. So, we wanted to repaint it to stand out in a good way, not an obnoxious way. And since my husband and I loved the idea of a classic white house/black shutter house, white and black {with gray trim} we did!
You may have thought the before colors were nicer, or we should have gone with something more Colorado-y {the state we live in} such as cappuccino brown with forest green shudders. But, we went with what we went with because it’s us and we like it.
I am slowly reading {not because it’s a hard read but because it’s a rich read} Sally Clarkson’s book, The Mission of Motherhood. In it she writes something that makes my jaw drop:
“It is a commitment of heart, mind, and soul to the task of subduing (making productive) a very specific part of the earth – the domain of the home.”
The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson, p. 163
I’ve been given charge over a very specific part of the earth: Our home. God has trusted my man and I to make this little corner of this big ol’ earth a productive, purposeful one. The number of ways to achieve this are as numerous and diverse as the Sherman Williams paint colors.
No matter the size of your home, it’s still a piece of His world entrusted to you; a gift that is yours and no one else’s. You can paint it in neighborhood matching colors or do something a little different. You can bake homemade cookies inside it or cut up the slice and bake kind. You can read some devotionals as a family or one-on-one. Neither choice is wrong as long as it’s right for your family.
Whatever you choose, may you be blown away by His like-no-other love and motivated to use your heart, mind and soul to make your space productive.
What are some ways you are purposefully making your space productive?
Love this post Kristen! I love the thought of purposeful living. Where ever He has put my husband and I, I knew we were in this place at this time for a reason. And I am have always tried to make it home! I think that is so important… to show gratitude to Him by taking care of our home the best we can. Love the house repaint… beautiful! 🙂
Thanks, pretty lady! I can’t say I’ve always gotten an “A” in blooming where I was planted, but thankfully God refuses to give up on me ’til I pass with flying colors. 🙂 And you are so right…we show gratitude to Him by taking care of our home the best we can. I think it’s one way to take care of ourselves, too. Love ya, Jennifer!
Great post Kristen!
I’m also reading Ministry of Motherhood. I haven’t got to the section you mentioned in your post but I’m looking forward to it. I am purposefully making my space productive by practicing simplicity and contentment. I’m determined not to complain about the little things (i.e. the carpet that I no longer like, the front door I would love to change, the kitchen I wish was larger, the laundry that needs to be folded). I’m thankful!
Being simply thankful…YES! The perfect way to practice contentment and to live productively {cuz we won’t be wrapped up in the things that don’t matter}. Awesome.