The Intentional Home, Week Three: Tuesday

For an Introduction and Table of Contents for The Intentional Home, click Here.

Week Three: Tuesday

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Before you get back to work on your living room, I want you to think about how you either use or want to use this space. What would be your dream for this space? Do you envision your family gathering by the fire in the winter and having great conversations, perhaps you see your family settled in for a family movie night or maybe you’d like to spend more time playing board games together and having fun. Maybe you would love to host a Bible study or a morning play group at your house?

Now, think about how this room needs to be arranged to bring your dream to life. Is the furniture arranged to provide fellowship opportunities or does the furniture just face the television? Do you have enough seating? Could chairs be pulled in from another room to seat more? For so long, I felt like my house was too small to host parties or church groups. But, God showed me over time that if I have a clutter-free, inviting home, people will feel comfortable here even if I don’t have a ton of space. I’ve hosted a number of birthday parties, a baby shower, a baptism luncheon and even a church home group in my small home.

I think it would also be nice to create some space for yourself as a place to relax at some point during the day. Maybe it’s a chair by a window where you can sit and read a favorite book or spend some time in the Word? You can set that area up with a table that houses meaningful objects to you. If I have a Bible or a book that I’m reading sitting by a comfy chair and my house is in order, then I am more likely to actually take a few moments for myself during the day to refresh and relax. I’m finding the importance of taking time for myself, if I am going to pour into my family and serve them well.

You will now continue to work on your living area. You might try moving some furniture around. Sometimes that can change the whole feeling of a room. Don’t hurt yourself in the process, though! Get some help from your husband, older children or invite a friend over for this process. If you happen to have another living area, then you can start working on it as well. Just use the same process as yesterday and have a little fun. You can also take a little longer in your main living area as we will be spending one more day on these areas. Tomorrow, I will provide you with a little more help in the area of decorating.

My hope and prayer for you is that after you’ve completed this week, you will start to see that your dream can be fulfilled in this room. Today, you will do your daily chores along with your weekly Tuesday chore of cleaning the mirrors and glass in your home.

Daily Chores: 

One load of laundry from start to finish

Make your bed

Unload the dishwasher in the morning, load and run it at night

Wipe down the kitchen counters and sink 

Wipe down the bathroom counters and sinks

Tuesday’s chore of cleaning the mirrors and glass around the house