Adorning the Home

I have such fun with my house. Now, that is.

We bought our house over 28 years ago [edited: now 30 years!] due to the foresight and vision of my husband. I saw a house in very rough shape and lots of work ahead of us. He saw an affordable house adjacent to family property with lots of potential. Actually, we were both right.

But that was many years ago, many dollars ago, many hours of work ago. Many gutted rooms, refinished floors, installed windows, reinvented rooms, moved doorways and driveways. Rewiring, replaced plumbing, revamped heating.

Now, I have fun with my house. Home is the best place to be. I enjoy rearranging furniture, making curtains, deciding what to hang on the walls, choosing paint colors. I love finding those little finishing touches that add heart. I like to light scented candles, decorate for each season, set a pretty table. I even like to clean. (I was once called a "sick puppy" when I confessed to my sister that I'd rather clean the toilet than go grocery shopping...but we all have our preferences. :-))

But no matter how I adorn my house, it is not a beautiful place unless there is this all-important sound:

The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. Psalm 118:15

If there is not the voice of salvation, the sound of joy, the kind words and pleasant atmosphere that accompany His salvation, then true beauty is not here.

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Reposted from October 2009

Why?  Because the Lord brought this verse to my mind this morning...

and I need a reminder myself!