Building a home

This week many of us have sent our little ones and big ones back to school. The craziness of Summer has now gone and it appears that schedules are coming back in. Some of us will find that we have time now to get organized. The closets and cabinets we had wanted to clean out this summer are still crying out to us. Some of us will begin to get busy and fill our days with things and people. We believe we can now say..."The time is mine!" But, can I encourage you not to be so quick to fill your time? First, we need to learn to prioritize. Say "no" to things so that we can say "yes" to the important things. Maybe after a summer of hurried meals and fast-food, now you can plan dinners that will surprise your family. Maybe make a lunch date with your hubby! Maybe surprise the kids and bring pizza to school for lunch. Or maybe visit that neighbor you had wanted to meet all year but had no time.
Something else to think about:
"By wisdom a house is built
And by understanding it is established:
and by knowledge the rooms are filled
With all pleasant and precious riches"
Proverbs 24:3-4
Scripture also tell us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" Proverbs 9:10
So if we are to build our homes we must start with Him first. Just recently, I have made myself get up much earlier than I had ever before, so I could spend some uninterrupted time with Him. That also means saying "no" to late nights. But as I said "No" to late nights I could say "Yes" to Him in the morning. To gain wisdom we have to go to the source...God and His Word. Many times we fill our days and then try to squeeze Him in...maybe now we could all commit to begin with Him and then let the rest of the day fall as it may.

As building a home starts with wisdom it also follows with "understanding". That means we meditate...find application in our day for what we heard from Him. We look at our relationships through the guidance and refinement that His Word provides.

So we have the source of Wisdom, then we meditate to gain understanding and finally we fill our rooms. We go to our heart "closet" and confess those sins that are still stored up there. We go to our mind "cabinets" and organize and prioritize thoughts. Throw away what is not useful. After this exercise we then fill our rooms with what is precious...His very words. And that is how God works to equip us with the knowledge we need to face the day and the future. What a great plan for our new time.
I think it would be great if we could share maybe a helpful hint you have received on how to keep "first things first". Or maybe you have been inspired to prioritize family time...Let's encourage one another as we begin to build our homes and build our lives around His Word.