February Newsletter: Reflecting On Home and Spiritual Rest.

February is here, and we're left wondering where January went. We ended up snowed into our home in the Scottish Highlands for eight days.

Hearing that heavy snow was coming, we stocked up on food and supplies for two weeks. It's like they say, "If you don't prepare, prepare to fail."

During those eight days, we ate well and didn't run out of anything. Even when the snow melted, we still had plenty left. It made us appreciate our warm, cosy home.

I started thinking about what home means to each of us. Where do you imagine your perfect home? Picture it for a moment. What does it look like? What makes it comfortable and joyful?

A perfect home is a place to rest, feel spiritually nourished, and be surrounded by love. In an ideal world, everyone would surely want to live like that.

The world isn't perfect, and we all face obstacles and stressors, so where can we find some rest for a weary heart? We can find peace in the loving presence of God, the higher power.

It's a sanctuary amid the chaos of the world. I hear it's a sound investment to move in there.

Psalm 91:9 - Because you have made the LORD, my refuge, the Most High, your dwelling place,

I hope you enjoy this famous quote by C.S Lewis

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.
What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of the Smiley Blue community. May we all continue to learn, grow and blossom into March- Lisa Precious