Seek Peace and Pursue It

Here’s the thing…this world is getting crazier by the second. No doubt amplified by the ease of sharing tragedies on social media outlets. I do see people trying to stomp out the bad with cute little…let’s all post pictures of cute little puppies and kittens….lets watch videos of cute babies laughing hysterically type of posts. Yes, those things do help alleviate the pain and worry momentarily. Do you want to know a tried and true way of easing the pain on a level bigger than a Band-Aid? We are talking heart transplant big. You simply leave the comfort of your cozy and safe nest you have created for yourself and go out and BE THE GOOD that you are longing for!

There is no doubt that we are seeing an increase of evil being displayed all over the place. Evil sells T.V. shows…evil gets more clicks….heart wrenching fear mongering articles get more shares. I have seen people get consumed by headline stories. They have to read every article that is out there. They can’t pull themselves away. I am sure I have even been the victim of overconsumption of dramatic storylines. I have drank the juice too. 

You can get stuck in trying to figure out who to believe. Whose story is accurate? Who was the real victim? Are we treating people unfairly that did nothing to deserve such violence? Do we trust the very law enforcement that has been put in place to protect us? Is that huge family that was once held at high reverence by many now just a false witness? Are those girls being controlled like puppets? Is he really repentant? Are his own children really safe? One question leads to another and pretty soon you find yourself in the middle of that big black caldron that is being stirred by every news and social media outlet there is. 

So how do you get out of that cyclone spinning pot of despair and unknowns? Put down the spoon and walk to higher ground. The top of the hill where you can breathe fresh air again. Where you can gain perspective and see the beauty that is still surrounding you. (Hebrews 3:12-15) Where the noise of the world is silenced and the voice of the one who created the world can be heard. 

You go out into your community and show people love. You ask the person walking down the sidewalk with a limp if you can pray for them to be healed. You listen to someone who most people have told to be quiet. You comfort a friend. You pay for someone’s coffee at the drive through. You write notes of hope and love and leave them randomly where people will find them. You pick up your phone and…CALL someone! You stop sharing the fear and begin sharing the love. You teach people to not live in anxiety and to live in hope. You help pick up your friend when they fall. Help dust them off. Stop pushing them back down, laughing, throwing stones while telling all the world about how stupid they were to allow themselves to fall again. You actually keep a secret when a friend confides in you. Send out handwritten cards of encouragement to people. Buy the greasy grungy guys at the tire shop pizza for lunch after they saved you from your 8^th flat tire in nine months.

Still not convinced this is the method to conquer the ways of the world? Well…don’t take my word for it…see for yourself in the book of Romans in your Bible. Jesus gives us clear instructions on how to combat the evil of the world and overcome with good. Stop being offended when every non-Christian calls us hypocrites. Instead…stop….evaluate your actions and be honest. Are you truly being a hypocrite? If so, ask for their forgiveness and correct your actions. Yes, that can be a humbling process, but we are instructed to do so by the One who created us!

Without further ado…let’s read what The Word has to say about behaving like Christians and how to overcome evil;

Romans 12: 9-21

Let love be without hypocrisy. Despise what is evil. CLING to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peacably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, (Jesus') I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore....if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."

Philippians 2: 2-4

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem (respect) others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others.

You can also study: 1 Timothy 1:5, Acts 18:25, Hebrews 3:7-15, Hebrews 10:32, Hebrews 6:10, and many many more. 

"Too often we see peace as merely the absence of conflict, and we think of peacemaking as a passive role. But an effective peacemaker actively pursues peace. He or she builds good relationships, knowing that peace is a by-product of commitment. The peacemaker anticipates problems and deals with them before they occur. When conflicts arise, he or she brings them into the open and deals with them before they grow unmanageable. Making peace can be harder work than waging war, but it results not in death but in life and happiness." From the footnotes of my Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

How to change the world: 

Be Christ followers

Be peacemakers

Be love doers

Be joy givers

Be gospel news spreaders

Be good news broadcasters

Be rumor enders

Be hope contributors

Be fear slashers

Be truth chasers

Be soul winners

Be good listeners

Be kindness subscribers

Be evil eradicators

Be human respecters

 

 

Laundry Room Triumph

I would be kidding myself if I didn't say that I feel like I deserve a medal at this very moment for my laundry room. You see. I am a habitual procrastinator. Combine this with being a creative decorating minded person and you have piles and piles of laundry. It is always the first household task that I forgo in the midst of busy life, and getting caught in other projects. We have just returned from spring break vacation. Prior to leaving we spent 2 days doing nothing but laundry. Before we left all the laundry was completely done. To commemorate this joyous occasion I took pictures. To celebrate even more I am blogging this to ensure the event does not go undocumented. That would just be a waste of a good thing. Without further ado...here is my laundry room:

The entrance

Lockers from a friend of mine who owns a store called Affected Interiors. They just had their grand opening this past Saturday. The lockers house all of our cleaning supplies, trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Plus side if you have little kids and want a safe way to keep cleaning supplies out of harms way...you can put a padlock on any of the doors. I bought these lockers from them in raw original form. However, they usually refinish their lockers in beautiful fresh colors!

My message center used to be in my kitchen. On a decorating challenge from a group that I am a contributing administrator for, we were challenged to move some furniture around. Well...one piece of furniture being moved usually starts a snowball effect in this house. I believe 5 area of my home were affected due to the moving of 1 piece of furniture. My Mid-Century Modern hutch is now in my kitchen, and my message center (aka paper piles) have been moved to this little area in my laundry room. I love it here as it is out of the way and I don't have to stare at all that paper.

Our sock organization system. The system works great when all of the socks are matched and put away.

A little craft project I did a couple of years ago. I love it when my laundry is sorted in all the right baskets. Which is rare. I do live with 5 boys.

This ladder rack is something I made and had used at my store for display. When I closed my store it was one item I couldn't bring myself to liquidate. It make a great drying rack.

Vintage ladder and vintage wrought iron corbel.

Our laundry room has great storage above the washer and dryer. However it is too high and too hard to get to above the machines, so I don't use them for every day items. We added the shelf on the right and the hanging bar when we renovated our home. The shelf above houses our extra booster seats and cleaning buckets. 

The color of the room was a mistake. It was suppose to be the same custom color that I created for our master bedroom which the paint company called "Aqua tint". However the day I showed up to the house and saw this I was in a bit of shock. It is true, pure Aqua. It was an accident, but it couldn't have been more right for the room. Our laundry room is small and narrow, this bright, clean, and happy color is just the refreshing color needed amongst piles of dirty laundry.

To the left is our list of house projects/fixes that need to be done. A list that is always kept up. I love to cross those items off!

 

My favorite part of the room is the growth chart on the back of the door. I now have to stand on a step stool to measure our oldest son who is 5'10".

 

So there you have it. A once in a lifetime event. If you happen to stop by on a random day, don't expect a tour of this room. I will non-chalantly point in the direction of the room and say "oh...and over there is the laundry room".