Imagine the furnished living room of a home.
The lamps seem to brighten the rooms in the cool of the evening as the sun sets, adding a comforting warmth. The furniture well-worn, having the look of being well loved. The family China cabinet holds what appears to be precious dishes used for the most special occasions.
The end-table next to the sofa is noticeably hand-carved, as it could be seen that great care was given in the composing of its every detail. A writing desk in the corner has an unfinished letter on it, and in the writing of a child the beginning reads, “Dear Grandma.”
Four filled bookshelves cover one wall, suggesting a love of learning. On the other walls are found family pictures, paintings of virtuous men and women, embroideries of Scripture.
What does this room tell you?
What things do you imagine happen each day in the life of the family living in this home? How do you picture their outlook on life? What do you believe is important to them?
The things found and seen in this room reflect the daily life of the family who lives at the described dwelling. Their worldview can be found when searched for, and the things they hold dear are evident in the furnishings and surroundings alone.
Which leads me to a question we all should ponder,
If the rooms of your home were frozen in time, what would your living room
say about your family and what is important to you?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
At the risk of being braggy, my living room frozen in time would show my love for my family. While the room is clean and generally tidy, there’s hubby’s special chair and side table, a hamper of toys and a rocking horse for the kiddos and my sewing machine with various projects for family members draped over it. The couch has dog hair on it because we love to cuddle with her, too. On the other side of the room is the baby bassinet for our newest little guy. My aunt’s pointalism drawing of Christ Jesus the Shepherd hangs nearby and various other pictures of family members are hung around the room. Over hubby’s chair is the whitetail deer rack I had mounted for him along with a picture of him and the buck. If you turn over the braided rug, you’ll see dirtied lines of sticky masking tape residue where I made a whole road system for my son to play his hotwheels cars and tractors on. I left the tape on too long and ruined the one side of the rug.
Thank you Emily. Your post has made me pause this morning and take a look around our living/dining room. I can see some things I love and that really reflect our family life and several other things that are going to need to go
and even some that are missing. I think I will take some time today to make a few changes. Thank you for the motivation.
I am going to risk bragging, also! The room you describe could easily be my living room. Our furniture looks nice from a distance. But up close you can definitely see wear marks and some springs are not quite right on the love seat. My husband’s recliner is shaped to our bodies now. We bought it 15 yrs ago when our first child had colic! The stories that chair could tell! One wall is a huge bookshelf that husband built for us and is filled with good, wholesome books and family vacation treasures! The walls and shelves are lined with family pictures, Jesus, the Holy Family statue, and three signs: “Bless this home with love and laughter, Keep it Simply, and “All things are possible with prayer”.
Thanks for this great post. It makes me appreciate and be thankful for my living room as I have never thought of before.
What amazing beauty!!! We just moved into our house recently after getting married in April and I am still working on making each room special. Thank you for the reminder of what kind of special they need to be!!! I am loving the process of turning this house into our first home together. Something He will love coming home to!
I wanted to add an encouragement to those who have damaged, hand-me-down, and/or mismatched furniture. Most of my furniture was either given to us or bought at garage sales/thrift/craigslist. NOTHING matches. I coordinate the best I can, but it doesn’t match. We don’t have a set or suite of anything! LOL! Most of what we have bears some sort of damage, mostly from dog, children or just plain wear. It doesn’t look junky, but it isn’t fancy either.
Anyhow, despite all this I receive so many compliments from visitors on how hospitable, restful and lovely my house is. A friend was going to pay a first time visit to my home and was asking direction. Another friend who had visited before overheard and came over and said, “You can’t miss it. It’s the cute little house full of love.” It nearly brought me to tears! That was the best compliment I could have received about my house.
So don’t despair. Your home is probably just as welcoming, if not moreso than mine.
Oh dear, mine would probably just show that we are unimaginitive!
Our room shows we are “under construction”!!! Which is where each member of my family is…being lead to the Lord almost 4 years ago and married to an unsaved husband…God has been doing some work around here. It makes me smile for our Lord is so faithful!!! SHAWN
I like to create a warmth and coziness in my living room, one that is both welcoming and inviting. Books are a big feature (I find houses without books lack something) and I welcome people having a browse. I hope it is full of love, but sometimes I wonder when things are all up-side down. I like to keep the room tidy and like the other ladies there are a few scratches brought about by children and pets. The cats most certainly think the room is just for them, taking ownership of the chairs..