Blueprints for Building Your Spiritual Dream Home

homes, hope, story, change


I have a burden. Until recently I didn’t know how to address it. But God has mercifully opened my eyes and my heart to His purpose in my writing ministry.
For several years I’ve noticed a surge in women tearing down their homes and the fallout is great.

The shell-shocked spouses and children left behind are just trying to stop the bleeding—learning to adjust to a new normal while struggling to rebuild their lives from leftover pieces.

Painfully witnessing battles that leave no winners, only wounds leaves us asking why. Why are we so  easily blinded by Satan’s lies, discarding Truth for what looks like a better answer?

Because it’s difficult keeping to the narrow path. Some days we feel it’s easier to just give up and give in rather than work so hard to maintain peace and order amidst the chaos. Being a good wife, mother and homemaker can drain your soul.

the narrow path

But we must keep pressing forward. We must ask God what His vision is for each of us and our families.

Where there is no vision, the people perish… (Prov. 29:18)

We gain motivation from our vision; motivation to push past the hurt feelings and the bickering and complaining. Motivation not to go back to bed when you’re drowning in laundry and dirty dishes and dirty diapers. God’s vision for our families is the inspiration that makes us get up every day and do the mundane tasks that reflect His love to the people we love most. It seems pointless and without purpose some days. But it’s not.

vision

Satan has a vision for us and our homes—complete and utter destruction. When we don’t ask God to give us a vision, we are vulnerable to Satan’s attack. Why is he intent on destroying our families? Because he knows that the family, especially the God-fearing family, is the foundation for a healthy society.

John Quincy Adams once said, “From all that I had read of history and government of human life and manners, I had drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women were the most infallible barometer to ascertain the degree of morality and virtue of a nation.”

When we give up on the narrow road, our homes, as well as our society, begin to crumble.

God has a beautiful plan for us and our families. He wants us to succeed and be happy in our marriages. He wants our children to grow into strong people of faith and integrity. He wants our homes to be our dream homes, a place of respite and joy. And He’s given us a blueprint to do just that.

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As I’ve worked toward building up my home over the last thirty years, God has taught me much through His word. I’ve messed up more times than I care to count, but sometimes I listened and obeyed and got it right. Many times He used difficult situations to soften my heart and make it more pliable to His will instead of mine. It’s never easy, but it is necessary in order for us to become the strong and godly women He’s designed us to be.

My burden has now become a purpose. Through this blog, I’ll be sharing each week what I’ve learned about how we can design and build our own dream home using the Bible’s blueprint. A blueprint is a detailed plan we can follow so we’ll know what our homes are supposed to look like—a master plan to help us become successful wives and mothers. As much as we may hate to admit it ladies, for the most part we are the ones who create the atmosphere in our homes. Some days I hate to think what that means for my family.

But, as the quote at the beginning of this post suggests, we have the power to change our stories—and our homes.

wood teal punch list

At the end of each post I will include a punch list item. No, this doesn’t give you permission to punch family members. 🙂 A punch list is a builder term for a written list of items like a residential garage door, that needs to be fixed, repaired, or replaced with the help of professional garage door installation and garage door repair services prior to the final walk-thru in a home so it meets inspection requirements. My punch list will suggest practical assignments we can implement in our own homes. I pray this blueprint will encourage, teach and inspire each of us as we strive to ready our homes for God’s final walk-through.

Let’s do this together!

14 thoughts on “Blueprints for Building Your Spiritual Dream Home”

  1. Carol, I love this! Most of all I love how you have kept your heart near the heart of Father God so He can show you the direction for your ministry. I’m learning that the path to following God’s plans for our lives has many twist and turns. So glad you have been flexible and let Him lead you. Keep up the good work. I am so very proud of you!!!!

    • Thanks for your encouragement, Beth. It means so much! It has been a long struggle finding my place in ministering to women, but I’m excited about this new chapter He has for me. I love it when God shows up and shows out! Thanks for commenting 🙂

    • Thanks, Ellen. I struggled coming up with the name for my practical tip, but thought the definition of a punch list perfectly portayed readying us for Christ’s approval. I appreciate your comment!

  2. Carol, the Lord is faithful to lead us to the path that will honor him and bless His children. Looking forward to read more of your posts.

  3. I had the privilege of watching the movie “War Room” it was very good and told the story of how a woman fought for her marriage in prayer. God used this movie to bring me closer to Him and fight for my marriage in prayer. It is too easy to give up, the road seems long and steep, but Jesus is with me every step of the way, Praise God.

    • Anne, That movie had a powerful impact on me, as well, causing me to pray more earnestly for what God would have me do in ministry. I’m so glad you’re not taking the easy way out and are fighting for your marriage. God bless you as you grow in your relationship with God and your husband!

  4. Carol,

    I have a dear friend who is guarding her marriage and rebuilding her dream house. She’s not using any social media right now. What’s an easy way for her to follow your blog through this series?

    • Leslie, I would love to have her subscribe to my blog. If she’ll go to my website there’s a sign-up button in the right sidebar where she can enter her email address. Once she does that, she’ll receive each blog update in her inbox. Kudos to her for having the courage to step back from social media if she feels it’s interfering with building her dream home. Thanks so much for asking!

  5. God’s blueprint has a flawless foundation. Only when we make the personal decision to let him be the architect for our life is he able to fulfill the plans he has to bless and prosper our lives! Carol, I am blessed through your blog .

    • You’re exactly right, Angie. That perfect foundation can only be built on Christ, otherwise we have no stability or success when we try to do it on our own. So good to hear from you!

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