Hidden Art

Sunrise on Haleakala Crater -- God's canvas

We serve a creative God. And, God calls us to be like Him. In her book Hidden Art Edith Schaeffer highlights this. I am enjoying this book, but also feeling rather convicted by it, because I am very unartistic. I don't enjoy crafts, I don't really enjoy artsy activities, and I don't feel that I do well coming up with creative ideas. I can mimic something else fairly well, but as far as composing unique creations, I generally come up empty.


After reading though, I realize that I do need to put some more effort into making my house more homey. It doesn't help that I live in the residence hall at a school -- very institutional decor -- but that is really just an excuse. I remember marveling when we visited some friends of ours earlier in our marriage at their home in Ohio. She has such a gift of hospitality and homemaking. I can handle the housekeeping, but the homemaking is another story. They had a fairly small one bedroom house in the middle of no where, so to speak, and yet it felt so warm and inviting. You just walked in and felt welcome and peace. I want that for my home as well.


So, I read on, hoping to find inspiration that I feel like I can actually follow through on. These paragraphs inspired me a bit:

I feel very strongly that this modern fear of the home becoming non-existent can be countered only if those of us who want to be sure our little spot is really a home take very practical measures to be sure that it is just that, and not a collection of furniture sitting in some sort of enclosure being protected from wind and storm. Of course, human relationships make a house into a home: either the relationships within the house, or the welcome and understanding that guests find. Human relationships depend upon communication.

But this communication takes time. It is also helped by atmosphere, and the atmosphere is helped by the 'things' which are arranged with love and with an expression of creativity in a visible form.

I think we have the relationship part moving along well in our house. Our house is one of laughter and conversation. We truly enjoy one another. But, then she gets back to the physical atmosphere of the home -- decorating, flowers, music, etc. There are a lot of little things I know I could do, but nothing I feel very qualified to conquer. I like the thought of these changes, but don't really know if I can do them and make our house better for the effort.


We'll see . . . Any ideas for how you make your house a home would be much appreciated. I will share my inspirations as I come to they, or them come to me.