Every once in a while I pick up a book that is just totally random to see if I could learn something…maybe even something outside of what I normally like to read about. That’s what happened when I picked up The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith. And…it turned out to be exactly what I needed to read! When I was a kid, our family moved fairly frequently and I always loved the adventure of exploring a new area! When I graduated from college and moved to Georgia, I lived in my first house for 5 years. Clint and I lived there for 2 years after we got married. Then, we bought our first house and lived there for 10 years. After that, we wanted to move back to downtown Acworth, so we made plans to sell our home. Before we even got to the point of listing it, someone approached us and offered to buy it. They needed to move in within 3 weeks. No worries, but we had no where to go! A dear friend found a rental for us in their neighborhood and we moved there temporarily…three years ago!
I love looking at real estate websites and cruising around looking at houses. I’d love to buy something and get to work on some fun house projects. Reading The Nesting Place reminded me of the value of being content EXACTLY where the Lord has our family right now. I have much more appreciation for our beautiful rental home and all that it has provided our family the past few years, mainly being super close to school, church, and all of the things our family loves to do.
I highlighted several things while reading and posted those notes below…
- I can accept the fact that my house and life and body aren’t perfect, because I trust there is a greater purpose. I trust that God knows what he’s doing, and I don’t have to panic and attempt to make sense of it all. I’ve given up trying to control our circumstances and instead am determined to create a home wherever we are. And that’s made all the difference. Location: 200
- An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field. — NIELS BOHR Location: 208
- “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” — MATTHEW 11 : 28 Location: 498
- As women, we ache to believe that real beauty can be found in the midst of imperfection. We are crying out for permission to lower our standards. Let yourself know: permission granted. Location: 501
- In her book Choosing Rest, Sally Breedlove says, “We find rest in the incompleteness of the present moment as we learn to recognize the goodness of what is and we trust that what is needed for the future will be added at the proper time.” Location: 553
- We can find rest in our less than perfect circumstances when we figure out that no amount of striving can create the perfect life we think we are looking for. True rest comes when we realize that we can’t get it from trying extra hard. We find rest when we give up. Location: 572
- Homes are happiest when they are being used. Location: 597
- The imperfections play an important role: they put people at ease. Location: 610
- In her book The Reluctant Entertainer, Sandy Coughlin writes, “Excellence is working toward an attainable goal that benefits everyone, while perfection comes from a place of great need — usually the need to avoid criticism and gain praise and approval from others.” We like to tell ourselves that we are insisting on perfection for the betterment of those around us. But really, insisting on perfection is a self-centered act. Location: 640
- I realized that when I apologize for my home, I’m declaring to all within earshot that I’m not content. That I’m silently keeping score. That I put great importance on the appearance of my home and maybe, just maybe, I’m doing that when I visit your home too. Location: 664
- Don’t apologize for what you have. It makes guests feel uncomfortable, it encourages discontentment, and if you’re married and your husband hears you apologizing for what he’s provided, it could be hurtful. Location: 684
- At times, good enough and done is a smarter choice than perfect, and simply making a choice is often a sign of maturity, balance, and contentment. Location: 696
- Is your home just another place of unmet expectations, to-do lists, and exhaustion? Or is your home a haven, the safest place on earth, a place to come back to, a place to heal, a place to create, a place to risk and simply be? You get to decide. Location: 776
- A home’s greatest purpose is to serve people, not the other way around. Location: 849
- The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety. — GOETHE Location: 856
- Get advice from people who are doing the thing the way you want to be doing that thing. It’s a universal law that can be applied to almost any situation. Location: 1,039
- Much of the beauty that arises in art comes from the struggle an artist wages with his limited medium. — HENRI MATISSE Location: 1,145
- Quieting a room is one of my favorite things to do. Location: 1,380
- It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become. — DR. SEUSS, THE LORAX Location: 1,456
- Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. — VINCENT VAN GOGH Location: 1,738
- Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. — EPICURUS Location: 2,062
- Everyone gets to decide how happy they want to be, because everyone gets to decide how grateful they are willing to be. — ANN VOSKAMP Location: 2,158
- Whatever’s in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah. — BETHANY DILLON Location: 2,196
- Are you waiting on your next house? The house that will be better and newer and bigger, the house that you will make into a beautiful home? This house you live in now, it’s only temporary, it’s not worth making it yours, so it sits untouched and unworthy. Months pass. Maybe even years. You put off having people over because this house doesn’t truly represent your family. You waste time dreaming about the possibilities of the next house. Oh, the burden the next house carries, where all the living and enjoying and creating will happen. If only. Just remember: compared with your last house, this is your next house. Location: 2,198