As I ring in the New Year my heart’s desire is for a clean slate. This is nothing new. Yet I am realizing that for me to have a clean slate I will be retuning to some rooms in my heart I have neglected or left vacant for some time. You see my heart has been referred to as a mansion. That was a revelation to me when I first heard about it, because I had lived as if my heart was confined to just a few rooms…it felt more like a shack…messy, small, dark, hidden. The environment was filled with resentment and grudges. I was under the impression that I would have to burn the shack or at the very least abandon it to live in a mansion. What a surprise when my shack was recognized and validated. My shack was not condemned…it was seen…it wasn’t as scary as I thought. Others weren’t afraid to sit in my shack. I started to get curious about this mansion they saw in my heart. Was it possible my heart is more than a shack?
It didn’t take me long to visualize the beauty I longed for in the rooms of my mansion. They were filled with the newness of color, softness, texture, and warmth, living things, such as, family, friends, dachshunds and plants. All this was a resonating reminder of how my heart is lovely and an inviting place to live. Likewise I was familiar with some items in other rooms. I recognized dolls, stuffed animals, make-up, blankets, mirrors, pink, ruffles and lace…all reflective of my young heart. Just the remembrance of them flooded my soul with a fondness of the joy of innocence. I can honestly say I liked what I saw. I had no idea my mansion could be so diverse on the inside…I had no idea that returning could be so heart warming…I had no idea I wasn’t alone in there…God met me in those rooms. In John 14 we know He is the mansion builder…His house has many mansions and my heart is one of those.
I have discovered that my heart has a huge capacity and I can decide how much time I spend in each room. Yes, those rooms of grudges and resentment are still there and I can visit them, but they are not going to take over. Now that shack is a mere shadow compared to the beauty of my mansion.
I have had to think about how I will care for my mansion…will I keep my heart tender and soft? Will I allow others not to throw bricks at my mansion? Will I tend to the gardens where tenderness sprouts into the fragrance of glory? Will I give goodness time to grow? All questions I ponder as I reflect on the mansion of my heart and just how I want the slate of my life to read for 2014. I look forward to returning periodically to the young girl’s room and caring for her heart there as well…she can even accompany me to some new rooms. She is welcomed…and so are you.
I anticipate a year of discovery and I am most grateful to have you join me as I ramble through my mansion…my hope is to have a peek into yours as well.
 
Mary Jane Hamilton has grown to love her sense of style and her peaceful lake living. Mother of 2 and grandmother of 6, she has a wonderful capacity to love and is still active as The Tooth Fairy. She is extremely fond of her dachshunds, who rarely venture from her lap, and enjoys biking with her husband of 44 years. She is rekindling her writing skills and finding it life giving.
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I love visiting each room of your mansion Mary. Looking forward to a New Year celebrating the goodness of your heart.
Thanks JP…I look forward to that as well…let the journey begin!
Oh, Mary Jane! What a great way to begin my day! Thank you for reminding me of my heart and the choosing I get to do to decorate and abide in the many rooms of my “mansion”. My day will be much more spacious because of your wisdom and love. Enjoy the sunshine in your heart (and around you) today.
Thank you, Becky…so I am enjoying the sunny room and resting my spirit there. Congratulations on your daughters engagement….oh boy a wedding to plan. Love this for you.
“You see my heart has been referred to as a mansion.” Your beautiful writing is an invitation to seeking more of my own. Thank you Mary Jane. Love your words!
Thank you, Ellen…enjoy the lovely journey of your heart!
You invited me to move over to the rooming my mansion that I hadn’t visited for a very long time- I forgot what it looked and felt like. I was becoming too familiar to the room that isn’t near so inviting – near so life giving. I have been missing the room where I felt charming and alive. Maybe the door to that room will be left open….with a soft light to suggest that I have been missed.
Thank you for the invitation to imagine different….
Lady Elaine…I love thinking if you in the soft light of your heart!
…my heart has been referred to as a mansion… it felt more like a shack. I love thinking about the contrast between these phrases. The metaphor of a mansion has offered me something to ponder, as I strive to live fully engaged with my heart and with the people God has placed in my life. I want to explore all the rooms in my heart. Thank you, Mary Jane, for sharing your mansion with us here.
You are so welcome…I trust you will embrace all of who you are as you explore the mansion of your heart.
What a lovely invitation this morning to consider the beauty of my own heart and the many rooms there. I appreciate your honesty in saying that the rooms that hold resentment and grudges are still there, but they don’t have to take over…they pale in the presence of the beauty of your mansion. I believe I will spend some time exploring some of my own rooms today!