Practicing Gratefulness in an Imperfect House
Practicing gratefulness in an imperfect house can be hard sometimes – believe me! I hope today’s post can be an encouragement to you!
Do you ever catch yourself complaining about your home?
These drafty windows!
I hate this tiny sink!
Our floors are so uneven!
I hate the color of this carpet!
And on, and on, and on. Weāve all been there. Itās so easy to to focus on the negative, isnāt it?
Or maybe you donāt complain often when things are fine. But the moment something bad happens – why me?!
As a home and garden blogger, I love to inspire my readers with beautifully styled images and well kept gardens. But please, donāt let those images fool you.
Weāve had our fair share of difficult moments.
Frozen pipes and a flooded basement. A leaky roof and electrical problems. Horrible drafts and expensive gas bills. Cracked plaster and poor insulationā¦
The list goes on. The truth is, no one has a perfect home.
So how do we practice gratefulness in an imperfect home?
How do we find joy and thanksgiving when everything seems to be broken and failing us?
This is an area that I have by no means mastered. There are days that I come downstairs and turn on my lamps, pull back the curtains and tears literally fill my eyes as I thank God for the home He has blessed us with.
Then there are days that my boys are pretending to be dinosaurs and the volume is SO loud that I catch myself thinking – I wish this house were bigger and they could roar somewhere else!
That being said, today Iām sharing some ways that our family practices gratitude, even though our home has flaws.
Notice the Small Things
This first tip might be tough, especially when you find out how much itās going to be to replace your old furnace (been there).
But taking time to notice the little things each day truly helps so very much!
It sounds silly, but every morning when I sip my big cup of coffee, I thank God for it! Itās warm and delicious, and itās just what I need after waking up so early. I try to point out small things to my boys, as well!
Isnāt this blanket so cozy, Gabriel? I love cuddling with you! Donāt you love where this window is, Ethan? We get to see the sunrise every morning!
If you canāt be grateful for the little things, youāll never be grateful for the big things!
Remember – Someone is Praying for What You Have
No matter how bad you think your house is, someone out there has it worse. We all know it, but itās important to remember.
When youāre tempted to complain about your home, think about a family who might be homeless, or a missionaries who are praying for a place to live. Someone out there would give anything to have what you have.
Create a Gratitude Wreath or Tree
Have you looked at my Gratitude Bundle? I provide a template for leaves if youād like to grab it, but you can easily create your own as well! Cut out some leaves from construction paper and have your kids write down things they are grateful for.
You can be even more specific and ask them to write down things about their home that they are thankful for, as well!
As a homeschool mama, I am always looking for ways to practice writing skills that donāt feel like work. Creating a gratitude wreath or tree is the perfect exercise!
Focus on the People in Your Home – Not the Things
Remind yourself that the loved ones you share your home with matter so much more than the cracks in your plaster and those uneven floors. Choose to be grateful for those precious relationships – the time that you invest in your home wonāt matter 100 years from now. But the time you invest in the lives of those who are living with you will last for eternity!
An Attitude of Gratitude is Contagious
Gratitude is contagious, and the old saying is true – when mama aināt happy, aināt nobody happy.
If Iām grumbling about my home all the time and complaining about all itās flaws, Iām not modeling gratefulness to my kids. But when I choose to look on the bright side and make the conscious effort to be thankful, even when everything is going wrong? An attitude of gratitude changes everything, and my thankfulness will affect those around me.
I hope this post on practicing gratefulness in an imperfect house was a help to you, friends! What are some ways that you practice gratefulness? Iād love to hear in the comments below!
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As a young 72 Yr. old senior citizen I’m so proud of your attitude. I’m trying to teach that very thing to my grandchildren. As a Christian I’ve always tried to be grateful for every little thing in life and to keep a positive attitude even during life trials. I believe attitudes and gratefulness can get us through so much in life. I have always tried to smile at everyone and call them by name and try to help make their day a better one. We never know what others are dealing with but the gift of a smile I believe can help.
I love you blogs and enjoy them immensely. May you have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
What a great post! You are so right that it is pretty easy to focus on the things we wish were different and that we want to change. You are also right that the relationships are so much more important!! As is my attitude. Love the reminder to note and say out loud the things we love – what we see outside the window, the little (but really oh-so-big) kindness that someone in the family shows us, the house quirks that are endearing. Thanks for the reminders.
I agree completely Kim, I also need the reminder myself from time to time! God is so good to us!
This could not have come at a better time! I have really been stressing about opening our home for the holidays. Projects that I wanted to get done this year fell by the wayside due to other circumstances and I’ve been beating myself up over it. But after reading this I let the whole thing go and now I have peace. Thank you Andrea. The Lord’s timing is perfect! š
Beautifully said!
Thank you Becky, I needed the reminder as well for myself!
Sweet post! It helps remind us of all we have. There will always be projects to be completed around the house and something breaking down and causing repair. It is all part of being a homeowner. We have to take the good with the bad.
Yes, all homes have some type of issue here and there you are very right!
Your post today is a great reminder to us to make that conscious effort to give thanks to our Heavenly Father who provides so many blessings both large and small – I too am a senior and maybe its taken the slowing down of life to have this “attitude of gratitude”. It’s difficult at times when so many things appear to be going in the wrong direction – to me it becomes helpful to re direct then and give thanks for my many blessings –
Yes, so very true, I needed the reminder myself as well. Thank you Cheryl!
I love the time you have taken to make your home comfortable for yourself and your family. I bought my first home, built in 1912, two years ago at age 55. I’m doing home improvements by myself to save money. I’ve managed to take down two chimneys , paint five rooms, fix and hang new gutters and hang one door. And there is much more work to be done. This winter I will be improving the attic space, now that the chimneys are gone.
You sound like a hard worker! When there’s a will, there is a way!
Wow that is incredible! I loved reading this because we can do so much more on our own than we could ever imagine! I pray it all comes together perfectly for you, it sounds beautiful!
Dear Andrea, Iām so happy, that i found you on Youtupe. I am from Germany and i love your Style of making your Home so beautiful. You are so right, to try to be thankful for what we have. When i think negativ, because our Home is still in remodeling, so i think – we do not have war in our Country and we have enough Food. That makes me thankful. I wish you and your Family all the best, Andrea and i am glad to see more from your Homedecor and your Blog. Christina
Thank you so much Christina! My husband and his family are from Germany as well, and what you said is so true. Thank you for the reminders to be grateful!
Andrea, thank you for such a inspiring blog. I am a widow , lost my husband of almost sixty years, and I just turned eighty.I have four married children, grandchildren and one great grandson.I am so blessed to be able to spend Christmas with three of the families, our oldest son lives with his wife and daughter in Lithuania. Myself and all of my children are Christians, witch is a wonderful blessing. My husband was the love of my life, we had many blessings in our life. I am so proud of my children and who they have become. I can see in you and your husband the good qualities your are instilling in them. Iā m sorry this is so long. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas. Build sweet memories!
Hello Barbara, don’t be sorry at all, I loved reading all of this. I am so happy to read that your family is such a blessing to you! I hope you all have the best Christmas and share many happy memories together as well!