Lately I’ve been thinking about redecorating so colors match more and rooms look more cohesive and organized, less mismatch. This would mean buying new curtains when we already have curtains on the windows. Yet I feel a tug in the opposite direction. “It doesn’t matter really. They’re just items that make the house look pretty, just stuff; matching doesn’t really matter. How much does it really impact you anyway? Plus, people are here to see you, not your things,” I tell myself.
All this is true, as Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic in the Prologue of Ochrid says, “…nothing is assessed at its face value, but by its essence; that things are not assessed by their colour and shape but by their meaning; that a man is not assessed by his status and possessions, but by his heart, in which are united his feelings, his mind, and his will.” The quality, type, color and matching of our furniture, window treatments, appliances, clothing, and dishes really do not matter. It’s how we use these items. Is my couch used to invite guests for conversation? Is my table open to visitors? Is my home a welcoming place filled with God’s love? Yes.
Does that mean I can’t buy new curtains and redecorate? No. Maybe I just need to be aware that I don’t have to, but if I look at those curtains, that framed picture in a new location and feel a sense of peace and thankfulness to God, then I can be okay with the purchase.
May you find peace in your home.