Make Your Home a Haven From the World: Day 3

It wasn't until the last couple of years, that I realized that one of the biggest factors in making my home feel like a haven is for people to feel loved there.  In my nightly prayers before bed, I used to pray that my home would feel like a haven to all those who entered.  I used to think in my mind that my home had to feel peaceful and look pretty and that was it.  It would be a haven.  But line upon line, the Lord has taught me that that's not all it needs to be.  The most important thing I can do is to love all those who come into my home.  It doesn't matter if our home is an old shack with a tin roof, a fancy grand palace, or somewhere in between.  If we don't let the people who come into our homes feel important and loved, our home will not be a safe, comfortable place they want to be. 

I've been given lots of practice when it comes to this.  Sometimes the children in our neighborhood will come inside to play with my children as I'm in a rush to prepare dinner, or get laundry done.  They want to tell me stories of the latest and greatest thing happening in their lives and I need to have the patience to listen.  Sometimes my children want to talk to me when I'm texting a friend.  I need to look them in the eye and listen.  Sometimes people stop in unannounced and I need to stop what I'm doing and just sit with them and be a good friend.  Sometimes my husband needs a listening ear as he vents about work.  Sometimes a grumpy child just needs some extra one on one time or an extra compliment or two to lift their spirits.

If we want our homes to feel like a haven from the world, we need to treat all those who come into our homes with love and kindness.  We need to make them feel like they are somebody special.