I come from a line of builders. Both of my grandfathers, maternal and paternal, were in the trades of building and repairing things.
This week, I built my first piece of furniture — an art ledge for our family living room. The blueprints called for just three pieces of wood, some wood glue, wood stain, and a few screws. I chose this as my first project because it seemed perfect for a beginner builder like myself.
As foolproof as this project seemed it would be, I still encountered a few obstacles. One of the pieces of wood was chipped and another had been cut an inch too short. I didn’t want to waste the supplies I’d bought, so I resolved to make it work.
The tutorial for building this shelf is from Angela Rose Home, and the art is from AllModern.
Ultimately, I love how it came together! The edges are not perfectly flush and there may be some blemishes hiding on the back board, but I love it nonetheless.
Home Improvement and DIY Projects During Quarantine
From cleaning out the garage to furnishing the guest room, the past few months have been full of home improvement and DIY projects. I’m positive that’s because of how much time I’ve been spending at home during the COVID-19 shutdowns.
My neighbors have taken the same route, I’m pretty sure. I’ve seen one re-doing their landscaping and another placing old furniture on the curb for pickup. What at-home projects, DIYs and renovations have you been working on during quarantine? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram. #quarantineDIY
As I’ve noticed people putting more time and attention into homemaking, I’ve started to wonder if there is something deeper going on here. We are all being instructed to “stay home” and “shelter in place.” Is this recognition of the home as the “safe” place the thing that has motivated us all to suddenly start paying extra attention to our homes? Is there something spiritual about our homes that makes us feel protected?
The Sacredness of the Home
As we’re all working to make our homes more comfortable during quarantine, I thought it would be useful to reflect on the sacredness of the home. A great book for understanding how God is present specifically in the household is Hallowed Be This House: Finding Signs of Heaven in Your Home, by Thomas Howard. This book, published by Ignatius Press, shows you how every room in your home is a holy place where God’s grace awaits.
As I admire my completed building project hanging in the living room, these words from Howard’s book come to mind:
“The idea in living rooms…down through the centuries has been that there is an entity “the family”, such that their mere being together is a good thing and that an ordinary house will have space provided for that mere being together” (48).
Howard teaches that there is more to the day-in and day-out activities that go on in the household. There is a spiritual connection between our Earthly home and Heaven.
Are these DIY home projects not an attempt to make our homes more like Heaven? We all try to make our homes welcoming places of respite; an oasis of comfort in a world where we constantly feel misplaced because we “do not belong to the world” (JN 17: 16). Rather, our true citizenship is in heaven.
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”
Philippians 3:20
We all desire our homes to feel a little bit more like Heaven and a little less like the World. We want them to feel like the place where we’re promised an eternity of peace, unending tranquility, and rest.
So, my beginner building project reveals itself to be more than a few pieces of wood put together. Hung above the couch where friends and family come to sit together, adorned with vibrant art to bring color to the room, it becomes more than just a piece of furniture I built. Placed in the room where “we affirm, as it were, the idea of family itself” (Howard, 63), this shelf represents the beauty I desire to see in the life of my family, which I am willing to build up with my own hands.
To close this post, let’s take a look at today’s first Mass reading, from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians; a passage that’s perfectly suited for reflecting on how you can make your home a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.