Proverbs 14:1 (NLT) “A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.”
I read this verse today and it made me think about the meaning of home.
When I envision a home, I picture a warm fire on a cold night. I picture a family “cozied” up around that fire. Maybe the children are playing a game or the Mother is reading a story to the children. There are smiles on each one’s face. The house is in order and I imagine the smell of freshly baked cookies in the air. Sigh…
Scan over to my house on any given night and you will probably see a very different scene. You might see the children playing a game…but they are usually bickering about whose turn it is or even which game to play. The dogs are barking at the wind. There is laundry all over the laundry room floor (maybe even spilling onto the family room floor). My husband and I are frantically trying to get the dinner dishes done and the house in enough order that we might be able to get to bed at a decent hour. This chaos is not necessarily the issue. The real issue is how I handle the frenzy of the moment. Oh sure…sometimes I just laugh and “go with the flow”, but more often I am a frazzled jumble of nerves that snap at the least infraction.
In light of Proverbs 14:1 – I can almost see myself with my work gloves on hammering holes in the walls of my home. A careless remark to my child may bruise his spirit and make home feel less welcoming. A snap judgment about my husband’s motives may make him feel unappreciated. It’s not that I should never correct my children or make my husband aware of my hurt feelings. It really comes down to my own motives. Do I correct my children because I love them and want them to grow to be responsible adults or am I more concerned with how their actions make me look to others. Do I express my concerns to my husband because I want a closer relationship with him and want to be open with him or do I make cutting remarks in an effort to justify my own bad behavior?
I think it might be time to start working on that house. Maybe add a little extra mortar to the walls. A few loving words to my husband and children, extra hugs all around, a quick motive check before speaking and a renewed focus on what is really important are in order. My house may never resemble that family gathered around the fire, but I can build a house filled with love and care. Who knows…I might even be able to add that smell of fresh baked cookies! If you happen to stop by my house sometime…just step over the laundry…I’m busy building a home!
