~ When a House Stops Being a Home

A few days ago, I drove past this house.

It is an interesting structure with incredible details. (Just look at those windows!) I'm sure it used to be a beautiful home. Today, the front windows are shattered, the doors are boarded up, and it's obvious no one has lived there for years.

I am left to wonder?

When did this house stop being a home?

Was it when the owner died or the family moved away?

I drive past houses every day that are newer, more modern houses. There are cars in the driveway, glass in the windows, and it's obvious there are people inside. Sadly, statistics tell me that many of these houses have already stopped being homes. Ministry has taught me that just because a family looks like they have it all together, doesn't mean they have a happy home.

So when does a house stop being a home? Is it when the people who dwell there...

...stop talking to each other?

...stop saying I love you?

...stop offering forgiveness?

...stop laughing with one another?

...stop being with each other?

...stop encouraging one another?

...stop believing in each other?

I suspect that a house stops being a home long before the decay sets in.

I see families all the time who...

...don't protect their schedules.

...don't defend each other.

...don't respect each other.

...don't sacrifice for each other.

...don't play together.

...don't serve one another.

How long will it be before the walls of their homes deteriorate, the foundations crack, or someone knocks their windows out?

I know my home is far from perfect. I have moments of tearing down when I should be building up. Sometimes I lash out. Sometimes I blame. Sometimes I use harsh words. Most of the time, I yell. (I'm a yeller. I admit it.)

But that's not how I want to live. I want to be a builder. I want to...

...own up to my mistakes.

...extend grace.

...be what my husband needs.

...bring out the best in my boys.

...make home a safe place where we all want to be - a haven.

My husband is a builder. He forgives - over & over. He strengthens me. He fills in where I am weak. He makes me feel safe, loved and treasured. He builds me up not tears me down.

Keeping a house a home is hard work. It's choosing to die to self every moment of every day. It's deciding to put everyone else's needs above your own. It is choosing to live together instead of just existing alone. It is a gift, and it's worth fighting for.

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (Proverbs 14:1)

This post is linked to Chatting at the Sky's Tuesdays Unwrapped