Open Shelving Decorating Ideas

Hello friends! It’s been awhile since we’ve met here and I’m so thrilled to be back! Between wrapping up the end of the school year for my kids through distance learning (if I never have to do Algebra again it will be too soon!) and all of the other craziness happening in our world right now, I’ve honestly just felt the need to hunker down and spend time processing, praying and being a bit more quiet than usual.

But, the other day, I found myself itching to rearrange the shelves flanking our family room fireplace and give them a fresh look. It’s the first time in a very long time that I’ve felt any desire to decorate.

I took everything off of the shelves and gave them a much needed dusting and then set about rearranging the decor, pulling things from other parts of the house and working with what I already had on hand.

And, as I worked, I felt something inside of me begin to awaken. Something that had gone dormant in recent months. Life has felt so upside down and backwards. Right outside my front door there is upheaval and heartache and confusion and loss…so much loss.

I’ve felt as though all of my creativity has been sucked into the vacuum of a hurting world.

But, as I puttered and cleaned and arranged and rearranged, I felt that spark returning. And if you ever went to a Christian youth camp in the 1980’s you’ll know the song “It only takes a spark to get a fire going” is very true. Granted, they were talking about faith but I think the words apply to decorating too, don’t you?

I was reminded that when the whole world feels out of control and out of order, I have the choice to control what I can control and that sometimes bringing order to your home can also bring order to your heart.

I’ve always believed that a peaceful home begins with a peaceful heart and my own heart has been in a daily battle to feel at peace lately.

One of our greatest challenges in life is to find peace when everything around us is swirling like a hurricane. But experiencing true, lasting peace really has nothing to do with our circumstances.

It’s about knowing that this is not all there is. I don’t put my hope in the things of this earth because they will always come up short.

So, even though it feels strange to ponder the placement of a picture frame or a glass bottle when much of the world feels completely out of place, I can be intentional about making this little corner of it that I call my home a haven of peace. Not in order to lock ourselves away and deny what is really happening, but to be a teeny tiny representation here on earth of the joy and the peace awaiting us in heaven.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Blessings and peace to you today dear ones!