It is now springtime, the time of year when everything is bursting with new life. I love this time of year because everywhere you look there is something new. As I look over the hillside, the grass is green and the trees are budding. I especially love the yellow dandelions, the first flowers that dare to pop their little heads up out of the cold ground.

God says, "Behold, (look) I make all things new again,¨ (Rev 21:5). and He does just that in the springtime. All things on the outside are being made new and coming to life. But this can also apply to things on the inside as well, where you live inside your home.

The atmosphere in your home is either bursting with new life, new thoughts, new songs and new ideas, or the atmosphere is cold and frozen like a chilly winter day. A home full of love creates an atmosphere where everyone can share their heart, and communication is easy because no one is guarded or worried about what to say.

In a home where communication does not flow freely, and everyone is afraid to talk, the home will be cold and without a lot of life. Would you like for your home to come to life and for communication to flow?

The following is a simple principle that, when applied, can begin to change the atmosphere in your home. But first remember, a principle must be embraced and continued over a period of time for lasting change.

New Ideas
"Behold, I make all things new." God is always at work making things new, but we must open our eyes and ears to receive these new things. New things begin with a new idea. A home where everyone is able to share who they are without condemnation, is the right environment for new life and new ideas to spring forth.

• New ideas are like those springtime flowers, you should be excited to see them.
• New ideas are also to be listened to and enjoyed. That doesn't mean you have to do anything with the idea, just as you do not need to pick every dandelion in the back yard. You just enjoy them.
• New ideas can be the vehicle that loosens up a ridged family, just like flowers bring life to a garden.
• Embracing a new idea might be the first time a husband hears his wife's heart and enters into her world.
• Embracing a new idea may be the first time a child is validated, and they feel like something they say is important.
• Embracing a new idea can break the cycle of frozen emotions in a family. It takes emotional interaction to embrace an idea.
• Embracing a new idea can also break the control that one person has over the entire family.
• Embracing new ideas brings excitement into the family life so that home is a safe place to try new things.

Try letting everyone in the family share their new ideas. Think about it, the need for something new is in all of us; but often we try to fulfill that need in very expensive ways like buying new furniture, a new house, or even a new car. It is just the thrill of having something new. A new idea can be heard and enjoyed by everyone, and in many cases it will not cost anything. Like a new idea of how to arrange the furniture or an idea of how to spend a Saturday together as a family. By simply learning how to encourage each one to feel free to share their ideas, a home that was once cold with frozen emotions can become a home of warmth with joy and laughter. Just try it! God says, "I will make all things new."


Written by Denise Boggs