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5 Home-Shaping Tips & a Home Decor Giveaway!

If you popped over here from my Encouragement for Today devotion I have running on Proverbs 31 & Crosswalk.com, welcome!

If you haven’t peeked at it yet, click here to get up to speed on today’s topic & giveaway!!! (Yay!! I love giveaways!!)

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Don’t you just love Thida’s phrase?

“Thank you for helping me to shape our home.”

Home shaping is serious business. Just take a peek into what God says about a woman’s power to either shape or to shatter:

“A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

Are we shaping or shattering?

Others are watching. What will they see?

Here are 5 tips for shaping your home. For morphing it into a place where others will both see and experience God’s love.

1. Pause before you pounce. Unkind words hurled at others in haste do not show the love of God to a watching world. All they do instead is show our ability to throw what my husband calls “flesh balls”. Remember, we are to walk in the spirit, not in the flesh.

2.  Freely forgive. When wronged, as we all are sometimes, refuse the invitation to get “historical”, bringing up all past trespasses and blunders and such. (Trust me…I am waaaaay too historical waaay too often!)

3.  Frown less. Would it kill us to ask a family member to “please pass the salt” with a smile on our face? Could we pass our child or spouse in the hall and give them a wink and I quick “I love you like crazy, ‘ya know!”? Must we treat complete strangers with more kindness and care than our own flesh and blood?

4. Laugh more. Listen to the young child’s knock, knock jokes. Get out the old home videos and reminisce. Pop popcorn and rent a clean comedy the whole family will enjoy splitting a gut over. (And note to self: Actually watch the movie with them. Put away the laundry needing to be folded. And the over-looked paper piles waiting to be sorted. And other piddly, distracting busy work. It will all wait patiently for you, I promise.)

5.  Saturate yourself  with the Word of God. Everywhere. On your mirrors, on your fridge, on the signature line of your checkbook, on the dash of your car.

Which brings us to today’s home-shaping giveaway.

In this prior post about my recent Christmas holiday decor, I spoke of my sweet, godly friend & co-author Trish Smith. She is a crafter extraordinaire who can whip up a handmade and heartfelt piece of home art with both her eyes closed!

Seriously!

Think HGTV expert with Jesus’ love appliqued on her heart.

One of her most well-known projects is her line of scripture signs.

I have one hanging in my laundry room:  “Create in me a clean heart, O God”.

Our living room wall boasts our family name with a verse stenciled faintly in the background that reads: “Choose for yourselves whom you will serve; As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”

I have a marriage one in my bedroom.

Another inspirational one in my office.

And now, I want to give one of you a chance to also own a Trish Smith original! You could win today’s giveaway centered around one of her beautiful wooden scripture signs.

One gal who leaves a comment on this post will win the following package (valued at $48!) :

~ This neutral-colored scripture sign, hand-crafted by Trish Smith. (The dot of the “I” in the word light is a little flickering flame. Too cute!)

~ A $10 Kmart/Sears gift card to be used in the stores or online. Are your dish rags too ragged? Need a new pretty casserole dish? How about a decorative scented candle or pretty rustic vase? Get yourself something new for your home.

~ A signed copy of my book A Life That Says Welcome; Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others. 1/3 of the book is my story of marrying into a family full of gourmet cooks, decorating divas and even a bed & breakfast owner who was featured in Southern Living magazine—while domestically-challenged me could barely boil water!!

The remaining 2/3 features practical recipes, cleaning & de-cluttering tips, and home decorating shortcuts—all on a budget!

So leave us a comment on home-shaping tips you can think to share.

They can be words of advice to shape your home’s friendly atmosphere.

Or give us a quick or clever decorating tip.

Or perhaps a family-fun snack you serve to your clan.

Or anything that struck a chord with you from this devotion or blog post.

Or, if your day is swamped, simply say “I’m in!”

The winner will be chosen and announced on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend full of home-shaping love!

Sweet Blessings,

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353 Comments

  1. Three times during our fifty-eight year marriage the Lord has called me to live the Scripture. . .”Greater love hath no man than to lie down his(her) life for his friends.” Obedience to that command resulted in the salvation of our marriage and the ability to go forward in love and peace. Keeping the vows made at our wedding has been challenged many times and yet greater joy has been the result of honoring the covenant of marriage each time. Our God is faithful to keep His promises. I believe He rejoices when we receive the power on high to keep our promises. We Praise his Holy Name in humble adoration of His Being.

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