And a throw pillow for a touch of color!

"for glory and for beauty"

Exodus 28:2

I went to visit a friend last week, and she gave me a tour of her house.  She has a beautiful knack for decorating; I just kept thinking, I want to go home and do this in my house…. The color combinations are just lovely and relaxing.  But there were a few things that stood out to me as I looked at the personal touches in her home.  Things that you could not possibly miss about her and her family.

First ~ she and her husband are grandparents.  Now, you need to know that this is not readily apparent about her.  Sure, if you sit down and chat with her, you'll find out about her two grandsons {and the grandbaby on the way}.   But she's young for a grandmother, and quite a striking woman.  She really doesn't look old enough to have grandchildren, so I'm sure there are people who are surprised to learn that about her.

But in her home, you can't miss it.  Pictures of her grandkids are everywhere.  On the walls and on tabletops and shelves.  In frames of wood and ceramic and silver and gold.  Sometimes the grandsons are pictured with my friend and her husband; sometimes with their own parents, and sometimes it's just a cute candid of the child alone.  These children, along with her own kids, are her pride and joy.  And it's evident in every room of her home.

The other thing you would learn about my friend if you were to visit her, is that her husband is a firefighter.  There are myriad decorations ~ photos, plaques, awards, certificates and general tzotchkes that make it impossible to come away ignorant of his profession, and his pride in what he does.

And of course, there are symbols of her faith.  A decorative cross here, a plaque with a Scripture verse there, and her Bible right on the table.

Our homes are a reflection of what's important to us ~ what does yours say?  That you're an artist?  A musician?  A lover of books or sports or antiques?

My home says all of that, really.  'Cause there are four of us living here, so there's a little bit of each of us in every room.  And there's a little bit of Him, too.  The things that remind us of Him aren't there to announce to the world that we love Him;  they're there for us; to keep our focus on Him.

But if they tell the world that we love Him, all the better!  ;)

~ "Grace and peace from God our Father 

and the Lord Jesus Christ

to you and the church in your house" ~

Philemon 1:2,3