Creating Space in Your Heart

My kitchen countertops are lined with coffee machines, a Kitchen Aid mixer, cutting boards, medicine, mail, and anything else that doesn’t belong there. We have about eleven different ways to make coffee in my house. And then there’s my closet, which is so full of clothes I have to squeeze them in and out – and when I am able to squeeze them out, they are wrinkled from being in a cramped, unorganized closet.  

Sometimes I wonder if there is anywhere in my house that is free of clutter. When I look around the answer is clear – no, all I see is chaos. Stuff is everywhere. There is no space! While I would prefer there to be less clutter, my husband’s mood is easily affected by the clutter.

I learned after we had young children that we needed a system to help us clear the clutter, especially before we entered our evening hours.  After all, who wants to walk into chaos?

So, every day about 10 minutes before my husband was scheduled to return, I would tell my kids we needed to hurry and get their toys cleaned up before daddy returned home. I wanted to respect that clutter bothers my husband. But there was a problem. I attempted to create less crazy in our home, but it came from a very frustrated heart.

There was a part of me that wanted to create a space for my husband in our home so that he felt relaxed – yet I realized that I needed to create my own kind of space – a space that allowed love to grow for my husband.

Just like it takes work to clean and organize a physical space, it also takes work to ‘clean and organize’ our souls. I realized that in order to love my husband and respect his needs, I needed to love myself and my needs. I knew my heart needed a good cleaning from being with Jesus consistently.

Space in our homes and in our hearts is felt when chaos is calmed, when order is built, and organization is present.

The truth is we all need space to rest and be present with God. May we be wives that desire to create space in our homes. Sacred space in our place.  

Wife Challenge:  Reflect on what kind of chaos needs to be calmed in your home and heart. What might this do for your heart attitude toward your husband? Take action today to implement a new way of living.

Karen lives in Madison, Alabama with her husband and three children. Karen has served as Preschool and Children’s Pastor and has been involved in women’s ministry for many years leading small groups, making hospital visits, organizing retreats, and encouraging the hearts of women. Karen now blogs at Glimpses of Faith and Struggles.  What started out as a way to communicate medical facts has become a place where Karen uses life experiences to encourage others in their life journey.  When she’s not busy caring for her family or writing, you might find her cooking or crafting.