Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Burning Bush

Last week I got to choose the paint colors for the new house. Thankfully it is something I will not have to worry about when we move because all five paint colors I chose have already been painted. What a relief! The Boys' room is a kahki color already painted and Ava Beth's will be the one room besides my bathroom that will need painting. I plan on doing that next week since I am not allowed to lift boxes! DARN! :)


Choosing colors was very important to me. Oh sure I wanted to be gutsy and go with a green but I had to let those ideas simmer for a while. Not only did I want it to macth my furniture and drapes but I wanted to choose something I wouldn't grow tired of soon. Choosing a "Kelly Green" to be different would not have worked! So I took two days to pray about it. Yes, I prayed about the paint colors. I know this house is smaller than the one we live in now and I know with a baby on the way, he or she will be in our bedroom for quite a while. That meant I wanted my bedroom to be fresh, clean feeling and calm. A dark brown or any dark color for that matter would make me feel contained. I like to feel free! So I chose "Simply Elegant" which happens to be soft, very pale blue that will look perfect with black and white linens. Ahhhhh, a room to retreat to. The Kitchen is "Yukon Gold". The kitchen is where I like to create, chit chat, bake and cook and it will be the center of our Homeschool. Yellow keeps my brain pumping! The Living area is "Hat Box Brown". It matches my furniture, my drapes and makes the room warm. This is where we will do Bible Studies as a family, sit with friends and loved ones and curl up on the couch to watch movies. It's a perfect color! The hall ways are painted in "Iced Tea". When I think of Iced Tea, I think of my Southern roots and my love for hospitality. Many years ago, when I was still single, I read a book about the Characteristics of a Godly Woman (forgot the name of the book) and the author talked about always having a pitcher of tea made and a batch of cookies on the chance you have some unexpected guests. To this day, I always have ingredients for homemade chocolate chip cookies and I can whip out some Sweet Tea faster than Billy the Kid can shoot a gun! (My boys are obsessed with Billy The Kid right now so excuse the expression!) So of course the color "Iced Tea" made me think of our home being open, friendly, inviting and hospitable. I pray all my guests feel this way. Last but not least, the entry way. For the Entry Way is the mantle of the home!


As I thought about the entry way into our home, I thought about how I feel when I first walk into someone's home. Our homes say a lot about who we are and what is important to us. It's where we kick off our shoes sometimes and it's where we welcome our guests and then kiss them goodbye as they leave. It sets the tone, the mood and it should be the place in our home that envelops everything else. I chose "Burning Bush" for the entry way. Don't you love the name? Yes, an actual paint color called "Burning Bush"! I love the story in Exodus when God speaks to Moses through a burning bush. You can read about it here. But this is the verse that gives me goose bumps. 5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." In our home we often take off our Crocs, flip flops or running shoes when we come in the front door. I have a big basket that we put them in and then my kids never have to ask "Where are my crocs?" I want everyone who comes into my home to feel they can take off their shoes! This verse in Exodus reminds me that I want my home to be a place where people feel something different. May they feel as if they are standing on Holy Ground. May it remind MY FAMILY that our home is Holy Ground.


Many of us can think of a few "Burning Bush" moments  we have experienced ourselves. It's those moments in our Christian walk when the Holy Spirit reveals something to use so loud and clear that we can't help but stop and acknowledge the moment. I would say my first experience with the Holy Sprit like this was when I was 14 years old. I spent a lot of time in my bedroom, inside my closet crying out to God due to the pain in my life I was expereincing from my parent's divorce. My Dad was dying in Alcholism and my Mom and Step Dad were newlyweds and I felt like there was no one to take care of me. No one was interested in my life. What was I feeling? No one asked. It was the most alone I had ever felt and still to this day I have not experienced that kind of pain like I did then. But one night, one of the many nights I shut myself in my closet with my journal and Bible, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me and I will never forget that moment. "Mandi, the plans I have for you are bigger than you could ever imagine. The family you dream of is going to happen and you will never feel alone again." If you ever struggle over whether or not you heard His voice, He will always speak in ways that line up with HIS Word. Look again at what the Holy Spirit spoke to me in my closet that night when I was fourteen years old. Now look at this scripture. Ephesians 3:20 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,. He speaks to us all the time. He gives us "Burning Bush" moments more often than we think. Sometimes we need to stop, take off our sandals and stand on Holy Ground.


It may have been just paint colors to the contractor painting the house but it was so much more. The contractor was standing on Holy Ground. Maybe he felt it, maybe not but my prayer is that every single person who comes into our home will feel Him or experience Him and know the love of Christ. It is a new season, a new day, a new beginning, a new chapter and I pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint our home with His presence and use our family to love many. May He be the mantle of our home and each time I take off my shoes when I walk through the front door may I remember my first "Burning Bush" moment and when He promised me this family I have now. He has answered my prayers and I am standing on Holy Ground.


"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5

12 comments:

Christina said...

I love the way you take something common and relate it to the supernatural.

Each one of your posts speaks to me, each time I read I learn.

Thank you!

karlee said...

I hope to see some pictures of the "burning bush" walls...and the other colors too! :)

Kelly said...

Love this, and the idea of our home being holy ground. I agree with Christina, I love the way you see God in every aspect of life, even in the paint colors. I hopeyou post pics of your new home- I am eager to see what Burning Bush looks like:-)

Anonymous said...

I love this. How awesome to think of your home as holy ground. I LOVE that!!! Oh, and hopefully I'll get to see the paint in person someday and experience firsthand your fabulous Southern hospitality!! :-)

Dee said...

I totally agree with Christina - you always inspire me think WAY deeper than I originally would have about ordinary things. I can't wait to see pics of your colors! I pray God's richest blessings on your new home - may your family grow, thrive and feel and share God with one another and others in this home. I love you and your heart, chicky!

Kim said...

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary ... and my home too! Beautiful post :)

Tracy: said...

Sounds pretty and what a sweet description of a Godly home!

Wendy said...

Love this!
Love the new look of your blog too!

Stacey said...

This is awesome!

Clarify for me would you? You picked colors and amazingly they were ALREADY in this house???? Sorry, i am just slow on the pick-up today.

Either way, sounds like a wonderful chance to have a fresh start in so many ways.

I am thinking about that shade of blue for our bedroom also. We have all white linens and black furniture, so I think the pale blue will be perfect.

Christy said...

Can't wait to see new pis of your beautiful home. I am trying to find something 'perfect' for you so I will need your new address soon.. I have got to locate this thing. :)

Unknown said...

Stacey, I chose the colors and the contractor painted them. That would be CRAZY if I chose them and they were already there!!!But I would not put anything past my GOD! :)

Stacey said...

Thank you for clarifying. And YES, I agree, I would not put anything past our God. In fact, it happened to us in our last home in St. Louis. The colors I had always wanted were in 5/7 rooms! It was like a sign!