Worth the Wait: Vera’s Baptism Story

There isn’t a parenting manual telling us exactly what to say to our children in all the different circumstances we encounter. Can I get an amen?

Go Long: Looking Beyond What Is And Hoping For What Is To Come

I’m sure the thought of his daughter marrying a Louisville fan was the last thing he could have imagined.  We bled blue in our house, no two ways about it.  Kentucky athletics were quite literally a part of our family.  Commonwealth Stadium was as natural a part of September through November as bonfires and pumpkin-spiced lattes.  We even had family photos taken dressed in blue. 

As it turns out, the answer to my parent’s prayers for a spouse for their only daughter would eventually come packaged in red, not blue.

Since marrying the unimaginable Cardinal fan, I have learned that in order to be deemed a true fan of either team you have to hate the other with perfect hatred.  I am not a true fan.  My husband, brothers, and dad?  True to the core.  Needless to say, we don’t watch games together.   

  

In 1982, the year my twin brother and I were born, the Cats went 0-10 for the season in football.  ’83 and ’84 were marked with winning seasons and promptly followed by losing seasons for the next ten out of eleven years.  Undeterred, my dad took my brothers and me to what felt like every single game.   

Over that decade, the record shows we managed to wrangle some W’s, but it’s hard to remember any.  What I remember is shivering to the bitter end of the game only to add another loss to our record.  I’m sure I exasperated my dad with my incessant questions during those frigid football games.

“Why are the defensive players so fat if they are Division I athletes?  How can they survive practice?”

“They eat a lot of calories, honey.  They have to stay big so they can be good blockers,” my dad answered weakly, his eyes glued to the field.  

“Why does the clock keep running if they aren’t playing; it doesn’t do that in basketball?”  

“I don’t know, it just does,” came my dad’s quick reply.

“And why do they call it ‘Hail Mary’?  Who’s Mary anyway?”

“Here’s some money, sweetie, why don’t you go get some food?  Bring me a hot dog and a bag of popcorn.”

God bless him.  No fair-weathered fan could have survived those bleak years or his daughter’s inquisitive disposition.  Only the die-hards kept showing up.  Thirty seven years later my dad is still showing up.  In fact, he lovingly texted this picture to me this past Saturday after the UK vs. UL football game.

What I didn’t know as a young child, was that every time our heads hung low in defeat, God was fashioning my outlook on life.  Long before I ever really sought Him, God was drawing me and preparing me to receive Him and His ways.  My dad was just bringing me along to something he loved.  But God was at work in my heart.  

God and UK football have something in common; in either case, those who are blessed are those with the ability to “go long”—to look beyond what is, and hold out hope for what is to come.  No one would have imagined UK's victory last Saturday against UL back in 1982.  All hope surely felt lost that year.  

As we await Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world, it is easy to feel like He is never coming back.  Many living during Jesus' day 2,000 years ago thought their Messiah would never come, either.  That must have been why so many missed Him.  Let's not miss the hope we have in Christ this Christmas.  Not only did He come, but He is coming again!

Regardless of your record in life and no matter the state of your current relationships, you can look to God for brighter days ahead. Every single person would be lost without the perfect sacrifice and forgiveness offered by God through Jesus Christ.  

Psalm 130:3-4 says, "If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared."

Your impact is far-reaching.  If you have failed someone in your life, apologize and seek their forgiveness.  Maybe they receive your apology, maybe not.  Continue on and enjoy the peace of living in the light with God because you tried.  If appropriate, invite them to be with you in whatever it is you love.  God is not far from each one of us—that includes you.  He is waiting to forgive you and set you on a new course for His glory and your good.

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:5-9

May God be your very sure help as you navigate relationships this Christmas season.  And may you dwell inspired as Christ dwells in you. 

Hugs,

Melissa 

His Mercy Finds Me

The kids and I ventured to a local bookstore recently, the kind that buys back used books and such.  We had just finished selling what felt like our entire lives away at our yard sale.  Fourteen bins of boy and girl clothes, pint-sized crocs and loafers, and the last crib mattress we owned.  It was a liberating experience, but one filled with trepidation as I knew I could not bottle up that former season of life and live it again. 

God Wants to Be Found

“And He has made from one blood 
every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth... 

so that they should seek the Lord, 
in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him..."

Acts 17:26-27

I was folding laundry in the basement the other day and in some glorious stroke of luck the kids hadn’t seen me go down there.  I could hear the clumping around of their feet that shook the exposed beams on the ceiling and rattled the wire rack resting against the dryer.  Eleven years into parenting those noises are hardly noticeable and certainly no cause for alarm.  

I was working my way through unmatched socks when the first of many calls for my help echoed down the staircase and around the corner into the darkened room where I worked.  

“Mom!” the voice of my five year-old rang.

“Mooooooooooommmmmmm!” a louder and more annoyed elven year-old shouted.

Their calls continued and it became clear that they really didn’t know where I was.  Glory, hallelujah!  There was no way in God’s green earth I was going to make myself known to them.    

At this precise moment Acts 17:27 flashed through my mind.  

“God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach our for Him and find Him…”

Down in my basement, close enough to hear their calls, I was hoping my kids wouldn’t find me.  In stark contrast, God tells me that He, too, is near, but He is hoping we will find Him.  Oh, the great love of God to want to be found!

Does God Love Us?

I was never the type to ponder the meaning of life when I was younger.  I didn’t think much of death either.  Nothing from within or without forced me to deal with those sorts of things. 

It wasn’t until I lost my grandparents, and then my husband’s grandparents, over the past four years that the questions began to pulse through my mind with regularity.  Since then, all of my “book knowledge” about the Lord has been tested on the stage of real life. 

Finding God When Disappointment Knocks

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

I don’t know what it is. There are 365 days in a year and somehow we are professionals at getting sick over the holidays.  I have to think back before children and marriage to remember a time when I didn’t get sick during the winter months.  Disappointment threatens all attempts at joy, peace, and love.  The world, it seems, is having a party and we are stuck at home.  Again.

Losing It: When Life Goes Off Script

My last blog post before finding out I was pregnant with my fifth child was entitled, Why Losing It Could Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You.  Be careful what you write in your blog posts.

One week later, after a glorious vacation and a feeling that life was finally becoming manageable, I had that feeling. Sure enough, we were pregnant. 

Why "Losing It" Could Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You

Raising kids is unnerving, isn’t it?  Even after a bagillion books read and seminars attended my kids still have a way of bringing me to the end of myself. 

Finding Your Thrifty: It's Yard Sale Season!

To all my fellow cheapskates and thrifters out there, Happy Yard Sale Season!

If you've never been one to shop second hand, maybe it's time to find your thrifty.

Tutorial: How To Make A Name Banner For Your Child (Anyone Can Do This!)

A few years ago I made a name banner for my daughter's third birthday party. Just around that time, she was inheriting my old daybed for her very own "big girl" bed.  I decided to use her birthday banner to create wall art above her bed.   

To The Mom Who Is Fresh Out Of Happy This Holiday Season

Last summer I bought two pictures on sale at a local home store to spruce up the basement. One says, I choose to be happy.  The other says a host of beautiful things written in clever font that fills the canvas perfectly. Use kind words. Be nice. Be grateful. Relax. Eat healthy. Share. Love freely. Be happy. Both pictures are bright and cheery and brighten up our otherwise dark basement in a very inexpensive way. They inspire all that is good. I love looking at them....except when I don't.

Calling All Cheapskates: Is Your Grip On Money Too Tight?

*Disclaimer:  This is a "first world problem" post.  Part of me can't even believe I'm writing this, but as I have worked with clients (and from knowing myself) I see that this is a legitimate issue for some people. If the word cheapskate conjures up negative emotions for you, please don't take it personally.  As the adage goes:  It takes one to know one!  With that said...

Messy Living: I See Much More Than A Mess

A home is just such personal territory.  It is a personal and vulnerable thing to let another person traipse though your home full of opinions and suggestions.  It must be said that it is an honor and privilege to be given such an opportunity.

A Volatile Business: When Circumstances Put Your Home At The Bottom Of Your Priority List

"Drops of Jupiter" gets stuck in my head anytime I hear it. I know, I know, the song came out seven YEARS ago. Well, that's about the time I started having kids and precisely the time my knowledge of top hits was replaced with "Itsy Bitsy Spider". 

Inspiration Nooks: Decor That Inspires

I love looking for little nooks and crannies in my home that can be turned into sources of inspiration.  One such place is above my kitchen sink. The kitchen is the place in my home where I am most easily discouraged.  It is the place where I am often in need of truth.  In need of reminders that God will provide and that God is in control.

Fresh Perspective For When You're Fresh Out Of Happy

Last summer I bought two pictures on sale at a local home store to spruce up the basement. One says, I choose to be happy.  The other says a whole host of beautiful things written in impeccably clever font that fills the canvas perfectly. Use kind words. Be nice. Be grateful. Relax. Eat healthy. Share. Love freely. Be happy. Both pictures are bright and cheery and brighten up our otherwise dark basement in a very inexpensive way. They inspire all that is good. I love looking at them....except when I don't.

First Things First: My Story

Hi. I’m Melissa Gilmour, the founder of Dwell Inspired.  I’m the one who wants you to love your home, improve your life, and dwell inspired.  But before I dive into all things home I want to put first things first and tell you about the most important thing in my life.  The thing that matters more than stylish houses and functional spaces. More than a clever pop of color or perfectly placed accessories.  Because even if I lived in the world’s most beautiful home I wouldn’t be living there forever.