Surround Yourself with Loveliness

Philippians 4:8 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

If we surround ourselves with things that are lovely, true, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, don't you think we'd be more likely to dwell on such things? 

When you picture heaven, or even your own favorite place on earth, is it lovely? 

When I picture those places that made me feel at ease or content in the world, they are beautiful. The clear blue-green waters of my favorite quarry, the ocean view on family vacation with mountains kissing the water, and even my favorite quaint, clean coffee shop in Korea all have something in common; they are all lovely, welcoming and peaceful. 

View from a glass house in Ubatuba, Brazil. 

When we were fortunate enough to stay a couple nights in a glass house in Brazil we woke in the morning to the sun painting the sky in warm colors. We ate breakfast as the rain drizzled and saturated the forest around us. I could not help but be thankful and joyful. 

The feeling of calm and gratitude is what I want to create in my own home. 

When I see mess, or excess I just think about what needs/should be done and not about all I have to be thankful for. In my bathroom I like to have the things I use everyday readily available and thus they tend to be on the counter. This, however, was becoming a problem with my toddler getting taller and being able to reach more and more things. Everything was just pushed as far back as possible to be out of the toddler grasp and it looked awful.

It came to me that this spot was easily salvageable. Some of the things on the counter were no longer needed every day and could be put under the sink to store, some things I could put in the medicine cabinet and the rest were things I use daily.  I remembered I had a wire cabinet shelf that wasn't being used and voila- extra space and everything is still accessible. 

It's still not beautiful, but it's no longer reminding me of a chore I need to do. Instead of clutter, I can see all I have and it's all I need. 

Why are the Lilies Content?

Like many other folks, I have a coveting problem. The catch is the Lord hasn't blessed us with an abundance of cash. Don't get me wrong, we have enough and over the last year of purging and reorganizing I see we have TOO much. So how is it that I always FEEL like I need more? I can blame it on social media; Facebook friends buying houses, getting pets, and building gardens...Or I could blame it on Instagram and Pinterest for glossing life and making everything look perfectly lit and curated, but I'm starting to believe the root is much deeper.

This year God has been teaching me a couple things.
First, my discontent is from my lack of gratefulness.  Second, I have a lot of crap in my life that blocks me from seeing the gold God has already supplied us with.  Third, it takes time to change.

I desire to be more disciplined with my spending of what I am given.

I want to feel more peaceful in my home.

I still want to look fly and be comfortable in my clothes.

I want to be CONTENT with what I have.

In Matthew 6:32-33 it says when speaking about our anxieties over physical needs,

"For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

It may seem like a strange way to seek after God, but I feel right now, for myself, part of seeking after God is to simplify my lifestyle and learn to be content with what I have. I hope that in organizing, remaking, and simplifying I learn more about thankfulness and see what I've already been blessed with, as well as start to develop an attitude that is more healthy in relation to things.

So that is the short of why I am starting this journey. I will post the small chores I tackle and discuss strategies for change. I hope you can join me!