Guest Blogger: The Skinny on Home Management

Emmy and her family

Two years ago, my husband and I owned a large, beautiful, brand-new house.

It had stainless steel appliances and a dining room that was separate from the kitchen. And, even cooler, it had a foyer. I loved that house. Now, though, we rent a smaller, much older home. No dishwasher, no stainless steel, no foyer. Not even a dining room.

Yet we are just as happy and fulfilled now as we were then. It took me losing my large, beautiful house to help me realize that the price, size, or quality of a house is not what makes a home; the quality of the family in that house is what makes a home. And that helped me realize what the true purpose of home management is.

If you believe, as I do, that this life here on earth is only temporary, you come to realize that the real purpose of home management is not making our homes look better than other people’s homes so we can show off or “keep up with the Joneses.” If you are making your home beautiful for these reasons, you’re missing the point.

But if the reason you labor to keep a beautiful, organized home is to be able to better serve and minister to people, then you got it. When this short life is over, it won’t matter how many square feet your house was or how much you paid for your window treatments or designer tile. The legacy you leave with those who remain is what will last. A home is not to be like a museum for people to admire. The purpose of a home is to shelter, comfort, and provide a place of rest for those you love.

Managing our homes and being hospitable is one way we can serve others, and serving others is what life is (or should be) all about.

--Emmy