And in him you too are being built

together to become a dwelling in

which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:22

One thing about teaching fulltime is making the choice to let some things "go" a little bit.

This is hard for me, because one of the things I've had to let go of is keeping my house the way I like it.  I'd like to say that I am relaxed about this, but honestly, seeing my house become disorganized all around me really stresses me out.  I am a homemaker at heart.  I like candles burning, lights low, clean sheets, the smell of cooked food, and on and on........

One of my goals is to get to the place where I can master balancing my two worlds in way that feels "right" for my family.  I want my family to enjoy being home and enjoy being around me. I want them to like our house.

So, this morning as I read Ephesians 2 and came across the verse above I had this stirring inside me about my body being the temple of God.

The dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

I don't know about you, but that reality shakes me up a bit.

I wonder how it feels inside my "house?"

Does He like dwelling here?

Is it a pleasant place to be or a place of turmoil?

Do I take time to make Him feel welcome or is He shoved to a back room and only visited when I have time?

I'm out on the deck with the puppies this morning, giving them time to run a while before I go to school.

I walked to my garden a few minutes ago as they were playing in the grass nearby, and I thought of Jesus walking with God in Gethsemane.

The closeness He must have felt to His Father there overwhelms me.

As I looked at my tomatoes and cucumbers twisted and mixed with weeds, I felt a nudge from God saying, "This kind of garden is the kind you are trying to walk in with me.....I need more time with you in order to make our garden a beautiful place."

I know that God opened the door for me this year at the high school.

I know that Olivia will be in my building next year and that my ultimate goal is getting her raised in a way that sends her off fully connected to God and ready for adult life.

So, I breathe deep and ask God for creative ways to have good garden time with Him, free of twisted fruit and mangled weeds.

While I want my kids to love being at home, I REALLY want God to love being at "home" in me too.

I want Him to like my house.

Thankful for a Father who longs to not only spend garden time with us but also dwell within our very souls,