‘Character’ Says A Lot

In my kitchen, above my sink, hangs a hand-painted wooden sign that reads “farmhouse”. It’s perhaps the most prominent piece of my house stating it’s theme or style—a literal label to reinforce what I hope is the obvious.

There’s certain characteristics I’ve poured into this little haven of mine to encourage a farmhouse look—in all honesty it probably has more of a modern-farmhouse-look rather than the traditional-farmhouse-style but either way it feels like home—cozy and welcoming.

Our house has been an ongoing, slowly evolving project since we moved in five years ago.

The main rooms gradually went from a deep green wall color to a dramatically brighter atmosphere with the help of soft white paint, over the course of a few years.

And last year my husband and I added ceramic tile floor (with a wood look) in the living room, kitchen and dining areas.

Shiplap found its way into the pantry space, which kinda seems to be a staple concept to any newly renovated farmhouse.😆

Even my decor shifted from way too much to basic and uncluttered—requiring lots of trips to the second hand store and a yard sale or two!

All of these personal touches I’ve added for the sole purpose of visually bringing together a farmhouse vibe. Simply put, I just love the look of a farmhouse atmosphere and my guests seem to appreciate it too.

As Christians a similar concept should be true of us — our “spiritual fruit” characteristics should be noticeable to others through the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. People should be able to tell we’re Christians as we share and show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22–23)

When nonbelievers see or witness these things in us they experience Jesus’ example. We won’t get it right every time because sin longs to thrive but the goal is to be always arriving.

We need to be grounded in the sureness of what we’re aiming to convey. Getting into God’s word, listening to worship music, spending time in fellowship with other believers, and prayer—all of these things encourage us to know and love God. The outcome moves us to grow, nurture, and appreciate our relationship with the Holy Spirit and to expose the fruits of the spirit toward ourselves and in our interactions with others.

With my house, I’ve aimed to give it a farmhouse feel and I’m pretty confident most visitors get that idea when they step inside. With my faith, however, my hope is that I’m fixated on a Christian theme with the characteristics of spiritual fruit setting the tone, and pointing others to Christ.

In keeping with the analogy of this post we probably all have a bit of “housework” we could do. Let’s not waste another moment—our world is in desperate need of Christ-centered neighbors willing to open the doors of their heart to any and everyone.

If you have time go listen to the old hymn “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love” for a little extra motivation!! I’ll be doing the same!

Have a blessed weekend sweet friends.❤️

Author: alimw2013

About For His Purpose~ My name is Alicia and I'm a thirty-something year old who loves Jesus. Only through God’s amazing grace and mercy I have been redeemed from past regret and shame. Reading His word has allowed me to look past Satan’s forceful lies, to see myself for who Christ says I am in Him. Through writing I have learned why I made the choices I made in my younger years and I now have a better understanding of why I desire to love God like crazy these days. Despite my daily failures, God remains faithful always. I am reassured of His unconditional love for me by every ink-drop spilled out on paper, each committed prayer as I cry out to Him, and deep understanding reflected through reading His word as truth. Yes keeping a blog will make me vulnerable to others’ opinions- there will be some who don’t understand, some who may criticize or judge, but on the other hand if just one piece expressed through my writing grabs someone’s attention and directs them to God, then pouring out my heart in a blog for the world to read is worth it. I choose to glorify Him alone through words streaming across a glowing screen. And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t reveal the fact that I’m incredibly quirky; I’m my loving husband’s best friend, my vivacious kids’ craziest cheerleader and spiritual trainer (3 John 1:4). I love anything farmhouse and rustic style. I think cupping a warm coffee mug in the palm of my hands is more satisfying than the contents within. I share a common obsession with my husband for the mountains, but I would (without a doubt) settle for waves crashing against my legs at the Atlantic Ocean just as well, and I almost always have a Yorkie curled up on my lap while writing. *All photos are photographed by forhispurpose.blog and therefore may not be stored or photocopied in any manner.

30 thoughts on “‘Character’ Says A Lot”

  1. I love the simplicity, the honesty, the kindness, and the welcoming feel of your home, Alicia. Thanks so much for sharing. You’re so right about the fruit of the Spirit. That is Christianity in its truest form, as it should be. Sometimes I think that if we could just love each other, just love each other, the rest of the world would see Christ in us, the Hope of the World! Thanks for this post. It’s just what I need.

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    1. Hey!! Yes and how often do we busy ourselves up and yet miss opportunities even though we’re in the midst of a crowd!! 🙄Goodness, Jesus help us.❤️

      Thank you sooooo much for your email, I haven’t responded because I want to do so without being rushed and of course it’s been a busy week. I’ll get to it soon though!❤️❤️❤️

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  2. I love the pictures. Your home is beautiful and welcoming. And I love the analogy you used here. I pray the fruit of the Spirt that is within is obvious to others, as we shine with the light of Jesus. I also love the reflection at the end regarding housekeeping. May we keep our hearts tethered to God as we ask Him to search us and create clean hearts within us. Great post! 🤗💜

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  3. I do like the analogy Alicia. It’s so true. The basic elements of who we are to be are the fruits of the spirit. Those are the things others want. A whiff of love here and a touch of joy there…

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  5. Your home looks beautiful and the farmhouse looks is something that feels so warm and welcoming.
    I so agree with you as Christians, we are to reflect the fruit of the Spirit. And that comes with making sure we spend time reading, studying and spending time with God as only then can we reflect Christ in us.

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  6. I love this! “We need to be grounded in the sureness of what we’re aiming to convey.” Yes! Will my sign say “Christian,” but my life and my look are totally the opposite? I love your analogies and how you draw us to truth. Thank you for that, Alicia. And by the way, your house truly does convey what the sign says and is so pretty and welcoming. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  8. You’ve done such a beautiful job on your home, while God does a beautiful job on you. 🙂 Of course we have to allow that work to be done on us, whereas the home gets that makeover by our will. WE have to say Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and accept God’s guidance to make those changes. Sounds like you and your family are on board with this which is a beautiful thing to see. Lovely post Ali. ❤ Well done.

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  9. Just as your home draws people in to its attractive, comfortable, and peaceful atmosphere, we need to draw people to Jesus by being attractive (in personality) and comfortable to be with, exuding his peace and joy. Wonderful analogy, Alicia!

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  12. Love you home, it is comfortable and warm looking. We painted our little cabin a soft white also. It’s small and it needed to look bigger so the lighter color gave that yet created a warmth. You home speaks of caring hands that created it. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  13. Pingback: ‘Character’ Says A Lot | Restored Ministries Blog

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