I am really not OCD about keeping my house clean, but I have been told that quite a few times. To be honest with you, I have always kept a clean house. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that my reasoning for keeping my house clean changed.

I grew up in a home where my mother was determined to make sure the house stayed neat and tidy. We had guests over all the time and she liked it when people complimented her on a nice clean house. The only thing was that even though it was clean, it just did not have a “homey” feel to it. As I grew up and got married, I carried this same mentality over into my own home. It was always total chaos.

After I gave my life to Christ ten years ago, my outlook on why I cleaned my house changed. I no longer cleaned so that when we had guests over they would compliment and say, “Oh your house looks lovely”. I began looking at my house as Christ’s home–not mine. I wanted people to feel the difference in between the two–a clean home versus a Christ-centered home.

I began praying over each room as I cleaned and spending more time with Christ as I did so. From the first week until the present time, it has changed the attitude and presence in my home. I decorated the walls with beautiful framed scriptures and family photos. Family dvd’s and board games grace the shelves as well as books on Christian living and children’s books sit on one side of the room waiting for others to come and play.

When people visit my home now, their response when they walk through the door is not “Oh your home is so clean”, now I hear “Your home always feels so warm and inviting”.

So what are some things you can do to help your home move from just the “clean feeling” to a “warm and inviting feeling”? Here are a few steps that you can take:

• First and foremost–realize that what you do is not for you and your family, but it is for the Lord. I always claim the verse 1st Corinthians 10:31–Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
• Secondly–pray over your household. Pray for the rooms, the attitudes of those that stay in those rooms, and the people who spend time in those rooms. You will not believe the difference!

• Make it a point to straighten your house everyday. When we procrastinate in this area and things build up and become to much to manage, that is when we begin to feel overwhelmed and decide we are not going to do anything!
• Be proactive! If you know a certain season is right around the corner, start preparing for it before it gets here.
• Last but not least–love your family unconditionally while caring for your home. Make it a haven of rest and relaxation for them and not a hoard of chaos and mayhem.

Today as you are preparing your home for fall, look around and see what things are causing stress and remove those immediately. Your family will praise you for it!

Jennifer Sikora has been married to her wonderful husband for 16 years. They have two beautiful children who are the light of their lives. Robert will be turning 15 soon and Kayla is 11. They have been homeschooling for three years, as eclectic homeschoolers who try very passionately to follow Charlotte Mason’s style of teaching. In her spare time, Jennifer loves to craft, quilt, knit, and crochet. She began writing and blogging when She first started homeschooling as a way to map their journey, but it has definitely turned into so much more than just blogging about school. You can drop by her blog at www.jennifersikora.com to read the latest of her writing endeavors.