A Truly Beautiful Home

There is something about a home that is well placed.  Every piece of décor hanging in its place.  The unique smell as you walk in that says so much about your hosts kitchen…  I remember growing up my friends talking about the smell of my house, how it always smelled of food and regardless of what was being made the signature scent was still there.

I remember when our home took on a new smell one Christmas season.  My mother had forgotten to blow out the Hope Candle of our Advent wreath conveniently located on our wooden windowsill above the kitchen sink, while we all left for our Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.   The candle burned until it hit the wood, starting a fire. We rushed home to what we thought would be nothing left, only to find just

a sink full of ash,

 

a broken window,

and a home that smelled like campfire.  The fire burned just enough to grab our attention but not enough to hurt.  It revealed hidden gems that reminded us this house was built on more than dirt and with more than simple beams, it was built on The Word.

 

There was so much I learned in that little drive home, and now it seems I almost have forgotten it.  I forgot how the things that truly matter cannot burn but remain with us wherever we go.  That homes can be beautiful, orderly, and smell luscious but all that means nothing if the holders of the house are hopeless on the inside.  We do not just need pretty homes but loving and Loved people inside them.  We need families who create a haven for the struggling and troubled friends.  Families who give up their comfort and perfection to love others well because they know how Loved they are.  Families that are okay to let you see their beautiful home messy and a little burnt to remind the world we all struggle sometimes, but when we trust in Him, our home will withstand the heat.