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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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July 24, 2011

Simply Sunday…”Never”



Vanessa’s post originally appeared on the {in}courage website.  We wanted to share it again in it’s entirety here…we also want to say a big THANK YOU to {in}courage for allowing us to have a small part of such an incredible ministry!



Never
 


I will never have it all together.


“Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
Psalm 100:2-3

I will never have the most perfectly clean home without toys strewn about and cracker crumbs ground into the carpet.


“A woman who fears the Lord, shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.”
Proverbs 31:31

I will never have all the answers.

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”
Romans 11:33

I will never know just the right thing to wear for every occasion, have the cutest haircut or be a trendsetter.

I will regularly leave the house in yoga pants, even though I don’t do yoga, and my hair will be in a pony-tail.

Hopefully I will have showered.


Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
1 Peter 3:3

I will never enjoy doing laundry and cleaning toilets, especially ones that are used by little boys.


“In all the work you are doing, work the best you can.
Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.”
Colossians 3:23

I will never have a body that does not have dimples in all of the wrong places.


“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
Psalm 139:14-15
I will never be a perfect mother. And I will never be a perfect wife.
I will make mistakes.


“A soft answer turns away wrath
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
Proverbs 15:1-2


I will probably never be viewed by the world as a success in my chosen role of Homemaker.

“She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
Proverbs 31:27-29

I’ve never been someone who looks at the world through “rose-colored” glasses. But I’m pretty sure that I look at myself through “world-colored” glasses. I put them on and walk around looking through lenses that reflect all of my faults and flaws. It’s a miracle I don’t bump into things more often with such distorted vision! But, what if I took them off? What if I saw myself as He sees me instead of how the world sees me? Perhaps my vision would be restored and I would see that I am…


Always beautiful to Him
Always loved by Him
Always the daughter of the King!

My prayer is that you will join me in leaving behind the land of the “never” and choose instead to dwell in the “always” of His mercy and grace.


That is a place where we will never be more welcomed!

Thanks for joining me for this Simply Sunday at the Fence,

Imparting Grace

23 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Good Thoughts, Simply Sundays

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Comments

  1. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    July 24, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    Oh this post is so perfect. We all need to see ourselves and others the way the Lord sees us. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  2. Pam@OurAdventuresInHomeImprovement says

    July 24, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    Great post! I love it.

    Happy Sunday!
    Pam

    Reply
  3. Michele says

    July 24, 2011 at 3:23 PM

    we all need a little reminding–thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    July 24, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    Vanessa, when I read your great post, a quote my husband used on the Hope blog this week came to mind: Frederic Huntington said, “It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.”

    “World-colored glasses” … definitely a hindrance. Thanks for the reminder – and encouragement!

    Reply
  5. Jedbel @ The Pear Tree Cottage says

    July 24, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    Vanessa,
    I now always look forward to your Sunday posts :). This one was just what I needed before starting another crazy, busy week. How easily we forget that what He values is what we should value. Thank you for the reminder…

    Reply
  6. Vikki Nay says

    July 24, 2011 at 5:23 PM

    Thanks for the reminder that none of us is perfect, but we all are special in the eyes of our Father in Heaven. I too don’t like to clean toilets used by little boys! I raised five of them.

    Reply
  7. Val says

    July 24, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    As always, you post things that truly speak to me. Great stuff!

    Reply
  8. Paula Jo @ Home and Garden Decor says

    July 24, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    What a wonderful post, and so much of it is true.

    Reply
  9. Kelli@MoreBangforYourBucks says

    July 24, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    Oh wow, That just about brought tears to my eyes. Thanks so much for sharing this.

    Reply
  10. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    July 24, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    Great post Vanessa… and so true!

    Reply
  11. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    July 24, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing it again 🙂

    Reply
  12. Judy says

    July 24, 2011 at 11:02 PM

    That is a very powerful post. It’s like you are speaking about me. Thanks so much for sharing that.

    Reply
  13. Coley says

    July 25, 2011 at 12:08 AM

    thank you for the humbling post. It is hard not to get wrapped up in things that don’t really matter.

    Reply
  14. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    July 25, 2011 at 2:30 AM

    Vanessa, This post touched my heart. Sometimes I walk around in those same glasses so this really hit home. Thanks for sharing.
    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  15. The Summer Porch says

    July 25, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    So well said! A reminder for one and all.
    Thank you ladies so much for allowing me the opportunity to share what I love to do with you!
    Hugs Rosemary…

    Reply
  16. Richella says

    July 25, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Yes! YES!! Oh, that we could all look through God-colored glasses and see ourselves as He sees us. Imperfect, yes, but so beautiful to Him, just as we are! What an outpouring of grace He makes available to us!

    Thank you so much for linking to my party!

    Reply
  17. Jane says

    July 25, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Thanks for this message. I’m right there with you-sounds like we should be friends. (Love the “world glasses” vs. God glasses idea…makes me think of the Brandon Heath song “Give me your eyes”.)

    Reply
  18. Tanya@takesix says

    July 25, 2011 at 11:55 PM

    What a fabulous post, Vanessa. Thank you so much for sharing this. We can all relate too well!

    Reply
  19. Heaven's Walk says

    July 26, 2011 at 2:37 AM

    Vanessa – this was such an encouraging and supportive post. One that alot of us gals need to hear – and remember. I think we tend to be too hard on ourselves – forgetting that God is loving us right through all the lumps and bumps in the road, and on us. 🙂 Thank you for this sweet and gentle reminder. I’m truly enjoying and am blessed by Simply Sundays. Bless you!

    xoxo laurie

    Reply
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    July 26, 2011 at 7:55 AM

    I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me. Thanks for sharing a informative information with us. It is totally unique, as well as simple but stylish stuffs collection.

    Reply
  21. kerrie of sea cottage says

    July 27, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    It is so important to see ourselves as beautiful. That we are His desired ones. When we see ourselves the way He does and believe in how much He loves us our lives are at rest and our hearts are happy. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  22. Gail says

    July 29, 2011 at 1:29 PM

    Thanks for your words to remind each of us to treat ourselves with the balm of kindness – afterall, although our Father is Divine, we’re only human.

    Reply
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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
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I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
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Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

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For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

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What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

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“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
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