Hey Friends,

Today I am going to be writing more about home – the place we eat, sleep, play, and live! More specifically I want to talk about how we can be happy while being at home. Whether you are a single girl living at home, a newlywed, or a busy mom… I will be sharing helpful tips to make the most of the home you live in… and how you (and your family members) can be happier living there.

In case you missed it – last week I shared a list of books on the home. Check it out here. Once again, I think it’s important to read about our homes, and learn how we can better manage and care for them…. after all, you probably spend more time at home than any where else!

So without any further comments… lets get started!

How to Be Happy At Home

Realize That Home is a Blessing

First things first, in order to be happy at home, you must see your home as a blessing.

No matter where you are in life right now, your home is a God-given blessing! It’s a place that is supposed to represent safety… it’s supposed to be a haven for all who live there, including any guests who enter it’s doors.

Those who have a warm and happy home to return to each day, are so very blessed.

Are you thanking God for His blessing of a home? The next time you’re counting your blessings… don’t forget to include your home!

The women who see their home as a blessing from God will be so much happier at home!

See It as Your God-Given Privilege

If you are a woman, then God has given you the privilege of being a homemaker. Even if you don’t have a home of your own (yet)… you probably help carry some of the load at home.

For those of us in charge as the “Queen” of the home… we are truly privileged to be able to care for a home and family. We ought to see it as a privilege and take joy in doing our “jobs” as homemakers.

For those of you still single and living at home… learn to find joy in helping around the house. Whether it’s washing dishes, helping with cleaning or meal preparation…. caring for a home is a privilege.

Every young woman and homemaker will be happier at home when she realizes that caring for a home is her God-given privilege.

Clean It Up

It’s hard to thrive in a messy place… especially when that messy place is our home! If your home is in desperate need of a good cleaning, then do what it takes to make get it clean.

If you simply don’t know how to go about cleaning up your home, read a book.

If you just don’t seem to have the time, start scheduling some time to clean into your day or week.

If you’re a busy momma with little ones, hire a babysitter for an afternoon so that you can tackle some much needed cleaning. Begin cleaning up a little bit during nap times, ask for help from family members, OR hire some cleaning help.

Keeping and maintaining a clean house is something we need to learn – and it CAN be learned. The best time to learn how to maintain a clean house is while you’re still single and living at home, and before the children come along… although learning how to keep a clean house can be learned at any age or stage in life!

A clean home is a happier home!

Love the People In It

• Who lives at home with you?
• Is it your parents and your siblings?
• Just you and your hubby?
• Or do you have a husband and a child (or several?!)

Whoever lives in your home needs to be loved… and who better to love them than YOU?! We all have the responsibility to love the people at home. They deserve our best – and remember they are the ones having to put up with us too! 😉

Make it a point to love the people in your home… and love them well. Go out of your way to show your family that you love them, not just with your words but with your actions as well..

• Willingly help a family member with chores, homework, or a problem that needs solved.
• Go out of your way to bless your family… give up the last piece of pie, wash dishes without being asked, bake a favorite treat, make a family member feel special on their birthday… the ideas are endless. There are so many ways we can bless our family.
• Don’t be afraid to give hugs and affection. There’s a huge difference between inappropriate touching/affection, and the loving hug of a family member. Make sure you know the difference and love your family by appropriately implementing physical touch.
• Learn the love language of each family member… and apply that to how you love them.
• Pray for them. If we truly love the people in our home, then we ought to spend time in prayer for them as well. Pray about their needs and their struggles. If you live with them, then you certainly know how to pray for them better than most people! Make it a habit to pray for the people in your home!

There are so many ways to love the people living inside the walls of your home? How well are you loving your family members? What will you do today, this week, this month, to love your family well?

A loving home is a happy home!

Cherish Your Bedroom

There is usually a room in each of our homes that is more special than any other… and typically that is our own bedroom. The little home inside our home, where we go to retreat, to sleep, and to spend our time alone.

Whether your bedroom is yours alone, or you share it with someone else… are you cherishing that special place? Is it clean and inviting? Does it smell good? Is it decorated and “beautified” in a way that brings joy and refreshment?

Growing up, my bedroom was my favorite place to be. I loved decorating it in my favorite colors… pink, blue, purple… my bedroom definitely expressed my unique style! 🙂 My room was also full of my own special possessions – my books, clothing, pictures, decorations, and more. I loved my room… and for the most part I tried to keep it clean and organized (I didn’t do so well with that leading up to my wedding, but I always felt better when my room was clean!)

Now that I have a home of my own, our bedroom is still my favorite place in the house. I spend so much of my time there – sleeping, having my devotions, reading, putting away laundry, getting ready to go out, etc. Because I spend so much time in that room, I want to make is special, I want to cherish it! How about you? Do you cherish your bedroom – that home inside your home?

Here are some simple ways to cherish your own bedroom…

Keep it neat and clean – because we typically spend so much time in this room, it can be hard to keep it clean! Just a few minutes of picking things up in the morning and evening can go a long way in keeping things neat,

Make your bed. It’s the main focus. Make your bed and your room will look ten times better! You will feel a lot better too!

Hang up your clothes. I have a bad habit of throwing clothing on “the chair” that infamous collect-all place for clothing. However, most of the time clothing either needs put away or put in the hamper. Make the choice and take 2 minutes to put each piece in the right place.

Decorate with functionality in mind. We use our bedroom a LOT so the decorations should be nice, but they shouldn’t get in the way. A nice bedspread is a win (this is the one we have). Simple things like photos and cute signs on the walls provide sentimental decor that doesn’t get in the way.

Make it smell good. I like to diffuse essential oils in our bedroom for a nice, welcoming aroma. It certainly makes the room feel a whole lot nicer.

Get creative – and make it a habit to cherish your bedroom, that special place where you (most likely) spend a LOT of time!

A lovely and welcoming bedroom is key to being happier at home!

Beautify Each Room

I love decorating – I always have. I realize decorating isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, but I do think that we should do our best to beautify our homes and make them look nice – even it’s simply done.

Just keeping your home clean and organized goes a LONG way in making your home look nice and beautiful. Everyone has their own style and their own ideas about decorating so I am just going to include a few quick tips on how to beautify your home…

Pick up décor at thrift shops. I don’t think you need to spend a lot of money to make your home look nice. Most of my decorations have come from yard sales and thrift shops!

Use candles. They make great decorations and they smell great too – just be very cautious when you have a lit candle.

Get ideas from other homemakers. Whether it’s from ladies in your church, Pinterest, or home decorating books. Learn from other well-seasoned home decorators.

Only use what you love. There no reason to have something in your home unless it serves a purpose, or it’s something you genuinely love. When shopping, make it your policy to only purchase the things that you know you will absolutely use and love. By following this “rule” you will be sure that your home only contains the things that you use and enjoy – and that is KEY to having a beautified home!

It’s a joy and a blessing to live in a home that’s been lovingly beautified!

Focus on the Positive

We all have things we don’t particularly like about our homes. Growing up I disliked the gold shag carpet in my bedroom! Now my least favorite thing in our house is probably the yellow/gold walls in our bathroom (I just can’t get away from that color!). 😉 However, there are so many good things to love about our homes. If we focus on the things that we love about our homes (trust me, you can find some!) then we will be a lot happier living in the home that we have. Just try it!

A homemaker that focuses on the good things in her home will be much happier at home!

Verses on The Home

God’s Word has some things to say about our homes as well! It would be unwise for me to fill this post up with my own thoughts without sharing some of what God has to say about our homes in His Word. Here are some of my favorite Bible verses on the home…

“He [the Lord] maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Prase ye the Lord.” Psalm 113:9

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Proverbs 14:1

“Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chamber be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:3-4

“That [the aged women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:4-5

“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” 1 Timothy 5:14

Note: Read about the Proverbs 31 woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 for many more verses on the home!

Final Thoughts

I hope this post and the practical tips and verses I shared, will inspire you to love your home and make it a happy place to live. We (as women) have a lot of influence over our homes and the people living there. It’s our responsibility to make is a safe, happy, and nourishing place. Even if you’re just a single young lady still living at home, you too can have a big impact on your home and the people who live there. May we always desire to bring honor and glory to God though the wonderful blessing we call home.

I Would Love to Know

→ What is your favorite thing about your home?

Please share it with us in the comments!

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