While reading a home decor blog the other day the author showed a photo that revealed (horror of horrors!), that she still had brass finish door knobs in her house. Evidently this is a big home decor faux pas. It’s just so nineties! And since my home was built in 1999, guess what is on all of my doors.
Suddenly, what didn’t bother me a bit before has become glaringly obvious. My door knobs are hopelessly out of fashion! The shame of it all. Pardon me if I don’t invite any of you over until I can fix this atrocity. Of course, the fact that the carpet on my stairs is ten years old and needs replaced before I can replace all of my doorknobs means I might as well condemn my house altogether!
Sometimes things can get that ridiculous. We can become paralyzed from enjoying the life God has given us because we don’t look like or dress like the people we see on TV, in magazines, or on blogs. Our homes and families don’t look as perfect as the ones we see there either. Our real life just isn’t quite that cool or cutting edge.
Discontent sets in and a disgruntled attitude takes root.
Instead of seeing the flowers of our life, all we can see are the weeds.
As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose minds are to be set on the eternal rather than the temporal, we should be immune to this. But we’re not. I’m not. We want to be accepted, to fit in, to be COOL! And evidently brass door knobs are not cool. Who knew and who cared before someone out there in home decor world decided it to be so.
In the meanwhile, around my brass door knob filled home, is a city of hurting people needing Jesus. Sometimes it’s good to remind myself. To put things into proper perspective. To remember what really matters.
Because what will always be in style, what will always be cool, is not me or my house LOOKING better, but me LOVING Jesus and the people He gave His life for better. With that in mind, maybe I will invite you over after all…just pardon my door knobs please.
Elizabeth Stewart is a “young” 50 something pastor’s wife, mama, nana, Bible teacher and mentor. She and her husband have three beautiful daughters, two great sons-in law and three of the most wonderful grandbabies in the whole world. Elizabeth’s husband is the pastor of a great church in the Portland/Vancouver area. Elizabeth is a wholehearted follower and lover of the Lord Jesus Christ. She also loves all things home and family. You can find Elizabeth blogging at Just following Jesus…in my real life.
Oh, no … my house has brass doorknobs, too. (And the embarrassment! We have them on our exterior doors, too!) But you’re so right that this isn’t what we should be giving our attention to.
Amen. Oh how easily we get caught in the snare of this world, when we are called by the One Who saved us to be who He created us to be before those who need Him.
Perfect example of the pettiness we so easily fall in to!
May your day with those you love and care about be blessed.
very cute! i loved reading your article!! My doorknobs are brass too!
I love this as I too have a 20 year old house that has brass everything. (except kitchen knobs, since I took them all off and now have no knobs at all, just holes as a glaring reminder!)
Most days I could care less and just relax and enjoy worshipping Him who is, was and always will be! I recently read somewhere that most Christians don’t seem to really believe that this isn’t our home, and you can tell they don’t believe it by looking at how much time and money they put into their homes.
I too have brass doorknobs and in one bath, I have a brass faucet….oh, the horror of it all. If you truly want to feel like an outcast, have popcorn ceilings in your house. This is my temporary home and I would love for it to look like something out of Pottery Barn but that’s just not going to happen. I am very happy that I have a roof over my head and food in my pantry.
goodness I never paid much attention to what the doorknobs look like, umm, mismatched I guess, 1800’s farm house, but it is home, the place we come back to to recoup after being in that “city of hurting people needing Jesus” you are very right, the body of Christ has it’s focus on the wrong door
lets focus on the one that leads to Him and show others how to walk through it, blessings, Penny
Great post! It is something I struggle with often, even though I know it is unimportant.
Hey, maybe all us brass doorknob ladies should get together and be “uncool” together.
Made me think.
This is so true and sadly so many have lost sight of what is important. The emphasis on worldly things is absolutely everywhere! My favorite verse regarding this is in The Message’s translation of Matthew 27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33″If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
So Awesome to know that God cares about our every need and has it all under control!