It’s that time again?! My husband came home from with that look on his face and the papers in hands. “Honey, we are moving again!” Those words never get easy to hear.
With every move comes stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of loss regarding what you are about to leave behind. Once again, we’ll be jumping into a new city, a new house, a new job, a new school, and we were just beginning to feel settled in our current place.
It’s never easy moving from one place to another. The Lord says in Hebrews 13:5,
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Having this confident assurance from His Word enables this time of transition to be a positive experience full of expectations to create new memories.
Too Many Decisions:
Moving to a new duty station adds to the many decisions that need to be made. Will we live in the installation or off? Will we rent or buy a house? These decisions can become overwhelming and stressful, but if you spend time making your house a home, no matter what type of house you choose, your family will reap such benefits.
Making your house a home seems almost impossible when you see bare walls and boxes galore scattered throughout. A sense of despair may even engulf your life like a fast-moving tsunami. But, even in those quiet moments of your thoughts, God promises in Philippians 4:14, “I can do all through Christ who strengthens me.”
With renewed strength comes joy in the morning. Remember that your home is a reflection of who you are. In other words, it’s a reflection of who God created you to be—a reflection of your heart.
With renewed strength comes joy in the morning.
Where to Begin:
As the boxes are eventually peeled away, and the “stuff” has been put away, the house begins to look more and more like normal. It’s important to completely unpack each box and give each item its own place. Now the decorating can begin, which to some, may become extremely laborious.
The process of decorating your home doesn’t have to be difficult. Think of it like being an elementary child in Physical Education class being told to walk across a balance beam. Walking on a balance beam takes complete concentration and a focused effort. If you ignore your anxious thoughts and run across the beam, you may lose your balance and your efforts will be fruitless. If you decide to take one step at a time with your eyes on the beam, success is the end result. Decorating with a focus in mind and measured steps will help you reach your end result.
One Room at a Time:
Take it one room at a time:
· Where do your eyes immediately go when you step into the room? Move furniture where it creates an atmosphere of conversation and find a focal point as you enter each room. Work around that focal point and begin designing your space.
· It’s okay to use color on the walls, which is one of the best and least expensive ways to change a room.
· Use accent lighting throughout your space to create a warm and cozy atmosphere.
· Add those special keepsakes and pictures, but don’t allow you space to become a shrine of family portraits.
· Try to use as many décor items that you already have. Don’t think that because this is a different house you need to go out and buy new furnishings. However, if you feel it is time to purchase new items, seek out coupons online before you begin to shop. With a multitude of stores at your fingertips, you can get great deals online compared to the major department stores at your local mall. Many home décor stores offer weekly coupons and great sales through their websites. Large general retail stores offer great products at a much lower cost.
· Be wise and set a budget. It’s important that your space reflects who you are and that each penny goes a long way.
Embrace Your Design:
When you take the effort to design each room carefully, your home becomes that place where your family feels relaxed and sheltered from the world. It becomes a safe haven; that escape from all the chaos that happens outside of those walls. Regardless if you live in a small house on a military installation or in a large house outside the gates, make it yours, and embrace your design. Psalm 139:13-14 explains:
“For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Be confident and know that God has made you unique, so your home is a reflection of His great design in you!
You may be thinking that this task is too difficult to take on, that this is a waste of time, or that your family could care less what your house looks and feels like. Fully transitioning with your heart and mind to that new duty station can be extremely difficult to handle. It takes time to feel settled and together. Many times we need to remodel our own interior (our heart) before we can begin to decorate our new home interior. Transition is never easy. Making a positive transition depends on how you approach your situation, and the role that you allow God to play makes all the difference.
Be confident and know that God has made you unique, so your home is a reflection of His great design in you!
REMODEL Your Heart:
Remodeling your personal interior before you begin to outwardly express your heart in your home requires seven basic steps:
R- Restore the joy of your salvation. Fall in love with Jesus all over again.
E- Embrace the changes that need to happen. Ask yourself, what is keeping me from desiring to be a child of God that He created me to be? Take personal inventory.
M- Meditate on the Word and surrender fully to God. Read God’s Word and surrender to Him everything-100 percent of you in every aspect of your life.
O- Open your heart and be ready to receive from the Lord. God is pouring out His blessings and He wants to give to you.
D- Develop and create an interior design plan for your life. After taking a personal inventory of your life, create a plan of action and do it.
E- Establish new behaviors and routines. Stay focused on Him and remain consistent.
L- Live the life of peace and pure joy that comes from Christ.
John 10:10b, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly.”
Moving to a new location, making your house a home, and refocusing your heart are much easier when God is in the center of it all. Take time in each quiet moment to reflect on His greatness and be thankful that He is allowing you to fulfill His plan for your life. He loves you and understands each emotion, feeling, and frustration that you are experiencing. So, with each day in your new city and home, create new memories, try new ideas, explore new ways of doing things, and most importantly, embrace the person God created you to be.
