I really want to change the banister in our house. I feel like it dates the place and brings you back at least a decade with its maple wood and white spindles. It really bugs me that this is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. And yes, I know I am getting fixated on this one little detail in our home. And yes, I know it’s not a huge thing. But it is driving me crazy and we aren’t going to be fixing it anytime soon….
Don’t get me wrong, I love our house! From the moment we walked through the front door (which was about 3 years before we actually bought it) I knew this was THE ONE. This was the house where we would have birthday and Christmas parties. The house where we would take care of kids on sick nights and wonder how we were gonna get that blue slushy puke stain out the carpet (great word picture, right). The house where we would plant flowers and take pictures with the front porch as the backdrop. The place where we would get ready for graduations and weddings and funerals. The space where we would find shelter and safety when we felt left out and just needed a place to be. The HOUSE that we would make into our HOME.
And I love what it has become! I love how it has changed with us and grown up with our family. The basement toy room now smells like teenager and sounds like an arcade! The kitchen no longer has booster seats and high chairs. The yard is now littered with footballs, basketballs, and bikes instead of sand toys, captured frogs, sidewalk chalk, and Little Tyke cars. The laundry room, well that room is still overflowing with towels and unmatched socks; some things never change! As I am beginning to realize with that eyesore of a banister….
It is so easy to look at things and make a list of what needs changing! In my house it’s the carpet (seriously, who puts white carpet through an entire house), the tile in the bathroom, and THE BANISTER! I can’t help but feel the same goes with my heart; I can look at it and immediately find things to work on.
I need to change the way I talk (yell) to the kids, the way that I always seem to find the negative in most situations, the way I am constantly trying to please everyone and care just a little too much about what they think of me; the list could go on and on and on. Most days I feel like my heart is in constant need of a renovation.
I want to encourage you today, that no matter how big of a remodel your heart needs, You are LOVED. You are loved by someone who looks at you and doesn’t make a list of all that needs to be changed. You are loved by someone who sees your heart with eyes of grace. You are kept by someone who loves ALL of you; outdated banister and all!
My heart, just like my house is going to change (thank the Lord). There are going to be days when it’s walls are warm and offer shelter from the outside. There are also going to be days when the walls are high, and no one is going to even want to come in. But He loves me anyway.
So much has happened inside these walls.
I am so excited to see what happens next!
Consider the Birds... 