People Matter More Than Things

We believe this, right? We know people matter more than things. But there are times when what we do doesn't line up with what we believe.

Earlier this week, I was privileged to chat with a small group of women about home design. We sat over coffee and treats and discussed hospitality, the beauty of God's creation, lovely fall leaves, and how to decorate our homes creatively and on a budget. As I spoke with them and shared some ideas for their homes, I started by telling a bit of what God has done in my heart to help me move toward a right view of home. It was important to me to really lay that foundation before jumping in to talk about the hands-on of decorating our homes with beauty.

And it feels right and good to do the same thing here from time to time. Especially if you are new here, I want you to know that although I love to design, style, and make my home beautiful, my identity is not in how my home looks. My identity is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I think most of us here love to look at beautiful spaces. But would you agree that leaving a legacy of strong relationships is more important than leaving a legacy of pretty stuff? More important than the things in our homes are the things that happen in our homes, right? Conversations with friends over meals, caring for our sick children, working together to rake up the fall leaves—these are the things that really define our homes, wouldn't you say?

I feel compelled to write about this topic now because earlier this week, I failed to put into practice my belief that people are more important than things. I got really hung up on something in my house, something I wanted badly, even though that thing was literally detrimental to my husband. My response in this situation was not in line with what I know to be true—that my husband has infinitely more value than the thing I wanted. There are times when, like the Apostle Paul, I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Our hearts are so prone to wander. We (I!) know people matter more than things. So as we strive to work on bringing beauty and creativity into our homes, let's keep reminding ourselves of this so we can stay on track. A beautiful, well-designed home is a good thing. It can help facilitate the types of relationships we crave. But let's keep a close watch on our hearts, friends. Because a soul lasts for eternity. A home does not.