The Beauty of Home

   The beauty of home!  That's what I was thinking about when my husband was having heart surgery at the end of 2018.  Would I have to go back to work?  How could I do this with children?  It was then that I realized how much I love being a keeper of the home and how very very valuable it is, to me, and to God.  I felt God whisper in my heart -you will be able to stay right here, and I felt peace.
   Sometimes life is about the big things; but mostly, I think, it is about the little things that turn out to be big.  Robins.  Snow.  A walk in nature.  A good look at the stars.  The frosty mist in the morning or

even as you breath in winter.  Remember how magical that was as a child?  A walk in nature will get your heart beating into the rhythm life was meant to be.  In our backyard, we have many birds.  Watching them is a delight.  It's a reminder that God loves each little creature, and so, he cares for us that much more.  He cares about our cares; He knows what we're going through. For my morning devotion, I am doing a Proverbs Study.  I like this:  "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life."  How do we guard our hearts?  I read on.

  "Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you."  Then ...
   "Let your eyes look right on {with fixed purpose}, and let your gaze be straight before you."
   Fixed purpose.  What is that fixed purpose?  Recently, I had been thinking this thought:  Always think and do the right thing.  Not just do the right thing, but also, think the right thing.  Am I thinking good about others?  Am I wishing the best for them?  Am I praying for my enemies?  Am I patient and kind?

We can and should carefully guard what comes into our homes (via screens, books, and attitudes) for both our children's sake and our own!  It's not that hard to line-up with the ways of God.  Often, it just takes our saying, "God, can you show me what I need to change?" and the answer will be there.  The change is always for our good.  We, like a child, only have to obey.  (Verses taken from the fourth chapter of Proverbs.)