From House To Home

We've been living in our new place for just over a month now. We haven't been around much since we moved, so unpacking has taken longer than it should. And we started painting maybe two weeks after we moved in, so it's be a little chaotic in here. We're SO close to being done the painting on the main level, the mess of stuff is starting to reside and I feel like I can breathe again. Poor Girlie was a little scared of all the ladders and furniture in the middle of the room. She would get so frustrated when she couldn't push her stroller for more than two seconds before it got stuck against another obstacle!

I was a little sad for most of the time since having moved in. Our old place was home. It was comfortable, it was lived in, it reflected us, it was home. This place wasn't home when we moved in. Obviously, it takes time for that transition to happen. But it made me sad. It was sad to see Cheyenne not comfortable with being by herself to play with her toys. She still won't go downstairs without me in the mornings. I missed the familiarity of our old place.

Our last place started feeling like home about 6 months after we moved in when a friend encouraged me to pray through our house. James and I went into every single room, including the bathrooms and garage, and prayed for each room, blessing it and casting out anything or any presence that was not from God. (There's a long story to go along with this that I'll save for another post.) Our house felt so different after that. Almost like a cloud was lifted and we could fully breathe for the first time since living there. I felt like I took control of our life and our home and who/what was allowed to be present in it. Claiming the power of Christ, in my home and in my life. It was liberating.

I didn't even think about praying for our new house until just recently. I'd been sensing something present in our home that was not from God so the other night James and I prayed for our room. Cheyenne was already sleeping and I wanted her to be part of this process so we just started with our room. A fresh slate. Whatever has been hanging around this place before we moved in is no longer present. Is no longer welcome. By the power of Christ's blood on the cross we claimed back our authority over this house, this house that God has blessed us with and is, ultimately, His.

The next night we prayed through the rest of the house as a family. Cheyenne even prayed for her bathroom, with our guidance..."Dear God, please bless this bathroom and keep it holy." I know that we told her what to say, but to hear your child pray is about the sweetest thing your ears can ever hear.

And now our house is our home. We still have lots to do before it reflects us and our personalities and style and all that, but it feels like home. It feels like ours. I'm so excited for all the memories and experiences that we'll have in this home.

If you haven't claimed your home as your own through prayer, I encourage you to do so.