A few weeks ago, I helped my sister get her house ready for a remodel. She ordered a storage container and we packed every…single…cabinet, drawer, and closet in her house. We cleaned out from under beds, moved furniture, packed up everything but the cobwebs.
Then the renovations began. Holes cut into the drywall led to new pipes and walls. A projected timeline of several weeks of work turned into months. But over time, a shiny, new house has emerged. New ceilings, new bathrooms, new fixtures—a whole new look, from the inside out.
A renovation is quite different from decoration. I’ve helped my sister decorate too. Buy a painting, pick a spot on the wall, and hope you don’t hang it crooked. A decoration is just a covering or adding to a look. It doesn’t change things from the inside out. But a renovation goes deep. It cuts to the heart of issues.
Last night at Bible study, my friend was teaching over Colossians 3 and letting God’s word dwell richly in your heart. She made the point that dwelling on God’s word can help lead to a heart renovation, not just decoration.
[verse reference=”Colossians 3:16″]Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.[/verse]
Dwell richly.
What does that phrase bring to mind?
Perhaps because I need to cook dinner, I’m thinking of rich foods. They aren’t prepared in an instant. Rich broths, like bone broths, take time, sometimes days, to prepare (like my sister’s home renovation). Rich stews need time to marinate and “dwell” in their sauce. Rich chocolate desserts take time and effort. Yum!
Dwelling richly in God’s word doesn’t just result in decoration. It goes deep, to the studs, and causes a soul-deep renovation. Like my sister’s remodeled house, or like a rich sauce, sometimes our hearts need a deep renovation too. We need to let God’s word dwell richly and deeply in our hearts and allow him to renovate, not just decorate, what’s inside.
How do we do this, especially as moms who seldom make time to slow down?
I wish there was one easy answer. But the good news is we are so blessed to live in a time where there are many easily accessible ways to let God’s word dwell richly in our hearts.
One easy method is to listen to music focused on God’s word. In Col 3:16, we see Paul tell us to teach and admonish each other through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. I don’t know about you, but my tired mom brain remembers things much better when set to music.
Also, a mom-friend of mine who drives a delivery truck says she listens to the Bible app read scripture as well as podcasts by her favorite Bible teachers.
I often listen to the Bible app as I get my youngest ready for school and go through our morning routine. I also try to stay involved in local Bible studies. Even if I don’t get through all the homework (like yesterday…ahem), I still attend and listen to the insights others share.
Different seasons in our lives present different opportunities. How about you? What season are you in and how do you find time to let God’s word dwell richly in your heart?
Jennifer Dyer has an M.S. in Communications Disorders, which served her well in her professional career as a speech-language pathologist. Never did she imagine that her education and career were God’s way of preparing her to be a mom to her own daughter with autism. Today, she enjoys reaching out to other families who face similar diagnoses. As a cancer survivor, carpet-cleaning veteran, and originator of the “Messy House Ministry,” Jennifer feels blessed to share joy, peace, and humor with others facing life’s challenges. She is mom to two beautiful daughters and is thankful to be raising them, serving other families with unique needs, and using her gift of writing and speaking to minister to others. Jennifer is also the author of a youth fiction book series and is trusting God with His timing on publication. Jennifer has been a mom for 11 years. She and Brandon have been married for 13 years.