Making Life Beautiful

What is beauty? The Merriam-Webster dictionary says it is “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit� and this is a most appropriate definition in the present case. We are called to be keepers at home – managers of the home sphere, but also makers and preservers of the home “feel� – the ones who have the supreme privilege of creating an atmosphere that gives pleasure to the senses and exalts the mind. Home “making� surely takes on a different definition when we look at it this way. We’re talking about far more than making sure there’s no crumbs on the floor or spiders under the beds. Making life beautiful involves every aspect of every day. What an awesome thing we are entrusted to do!

Ugliness surrounds us, especially in the current time. Our world is filled with shopping plazas fronted with asphalt and automobiles, construction sites, urban sprawl, traffic jams, smog, rage, melancholia, and laptops. These things, not to mention the stressful daily schedules of so many people, can lead to depression and anxiety. I believe one of the tools God has given us to counteract the ugliness and sin and chaos of the world is peaceful homes filled with beauty. Small fragments of life and pleasantness can go a long way towards giving life and joy to the people in our homes – including us! Unfortunately, many people are too busy to think about this, leaving their minds and hearts to suffer the consequences. As women at home, however, we have time and energy to focus on making life more beautiful, and the more women we have in our home, the more beautiful it can become!

Go through each room in your home and examine every area in them to determine where small pieces of life could be added. Are there pictures on the wall? Does the room smell nice? Are the colors pleasing? Where could a vase of fresh flowers go? Could you wrap a swag of dried flowers from the ceiling lamp? Could a pretty rug be put on the floor? Is the room warm? Does it feel cozy?

Whenever you serve a meal, take care that it is aesthetically pleasing. Do you have a combination of crunchy and soft foods? Is the color spectrum accurately represented? (Don’t ever serve spaghetti with red peppers, red apples, red jello, and strawberry dessert!) Do your napkins match the plates and tablecloth? Are the glasses full of spots? Are you serving out of ugly baking dishes because you’re too lazy to wash two pans? Don’t always save your prettiest arrangements for company; family is special too!

What small things could you think of that would please those you live with? Recently I started putting a small vase of wildflowers in the refrigerator. It makes me smile every time I open the door! Flowers do wonders in bathrooms as well. How about a good-smelling sachet in the sock drawer? A pretty holder for pens? Candles on the fireplace mantel – and lit, too? I think one of the best compliments anyone could give a homemaker is to tell her that her house smells nice! How about making fresh bread once in awhile, if only just for the smell? Steep some cinnamon tea in apple cider to make the whole house smell of fallen leaves. Is there a warm rug to stand on when you get out of bed? Does the house look cheerful and welcoming from the front door? Things should be straightened up, dusted, and alluring. The atmosphere should also be stimulating and enriching. Play some peaceful classical music in the evenings and energetic Tchaikovsky in the mornings. Don’t argue with each other all day; don’t blare raucous noise of the television set. And we should also look nice, wearing clean clothes with fixed hair.

I’ve heard it said that one of the jobs of a woman is to make home a place where people want to be – the husband, the children, and the woman! Take time and care to make your home a place where the little things are thought of and tended to. Jesus often went out of His way to visit the homes of those He served, eating with Matthew the tax collector, Zaccheus, Mary and Martha, and others. I’m sure His presence made their homes blessed. Is His presence in our homes? Do they reflect His glory and the beauty of holiness? Let’s not neglect the great opportunity we have as homemakers to bring loveliness into every room and nook and cranny. There are enough troubles and woes in the outside world; the least we can do is create an atmosphere of peace and pleasantness within our four walls, making them places that give pleasure to the senses and exalt the mind and spirit. What a wonderful job!