A Bright Home is a Happy Home

When I was growing up,  there was a girl down the street from me who I would play with sometimes. Her home was always very dark. Every single window was covered with heavy curtains. The parents both smoked. Jesus did not live in this home. It was NOT a happy place. No Light. No Jesus. He came to bring light into a very dark world. He is our true source of joy!

My mom, on the other hand, never closed any curtain! She still never even closes her shades when she sleeps. I grew up with all the windows in my home uncovered and opened if the weather was warm enough. As you can see from the picture above, we keep our windows uncovered also! The only time I have shades closed on any of my windows is in my bedroom at night, so my room will be dark. My home growing up, for the most part, was a bright and happy home. The Light of the world lived there: Jesus! 

I love the feel of sunshine. In fact, I wrote a whole post on The Power of Sunshine! The only problem with letting all the sunshine and brightness into your home is that it shows every dirty and dusty part of your home! {Reminds me how the light of Jesus exposes the deeds of the darkness; a topic for a future post.}

How do we keep our homes from getting dirty and dusty so the sun can shine in and we won't be ashamed of it? Many women really struggle with keeping their homes clean and have asked me for my advice since my post A Clean Home is a Pretty Home. First, get rid of clutter. Buy Clutter's Last Stand, read it and figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. A clutter-free home is MUCH easier to keep clean than a cluttered one. You don't need all the clothes you own. Your children don't NEED all the toys they have. Please, declutter.

The next thing is to make a couple of goals and ask your husband to keep you accountable. Three great goals to begin with: decide to not go to bed with a dirty kitchen and have all the stuff on your floor picked up, plus make your bed each morning. Just waking up to a clean home will motivate you to keep it cleaner. Here are three simple goals to have your husband hold you accountable for. Ask him if he would reward you in some way with something that you like {a nice dinner out, a new dress, etc.} IF you do this for 30 days, since it usually takes this long to develop a habit.

This should, at least, get you going in the right direction. The reasons most women have trouble with keeping a clean home boils down to two reasons: she was not trained growing up and/or she is undisciplined and lacks the self-control to do it. {The exception being she is physically unable to keep it clean.} Both of these CAN be overcome through accountability and practice! Practice does make perfect. A clean, bright home is so much more enjoyable to live in than a dirty, dark one. Open your shades and windows, weather permitting, and get to work! Also, make sure there is plenty of singing and making music to the Lord; for He alone is our true source of happiness and joy. 

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, 

as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Colossians 3:23

More posts in my Home Series.