To Gather Again: Create Your Special Place

Numerous reasons prevent people from physically being able to meet with their families and friends. But, as the time draws near when we’ll be able to gather again, we desire to create a special place for the precious event.

We’ve been talking here on the blog about the value of family projects. Renovating our rustic barn is our current project. Normally, I don’t post on Instagram as often as I do on Pinterest. However, I have been sharing a few updates on Instagram of this ongoing project. Since family projects seem to be a popular topic, I thought perhaps some of the things we’re learning along the way will inspire you to create your own special place. A place that’ll provide opportunities for your family not only to gather but to glean heart lessons from as well.

Apparently, repurposing old buildings is “a thing” now. Who knew? Not me. We just needed to create a special place for friends and family to gather. We have several family members with health issues so the more space we can spread out, the better. 

Horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and a not-so-miniature potbelly pig once hung out in our barnyard. But as our children have grown and flown the coop, so too, have most of the animals. The vacant barn seemed like a wonderful option for a meeting place.

Except there was an enormous amount of work to do first!

Clean Out the Clutter

After the animals departed, I never went to the barn except on Christmas Eve. After my husband, his dad, and my dad built the rustic barn in 2000 we began a family tradition. Every Christmas Eve before the kids went to bed, we walked to the barn to meet family and friends for a time of Bible reading, prayer, and praise. Those times of sitting on hay bales around a manger have created some of my favorite memories. In 2020, “the year of altered traditions,” we weren’t able to do that due to the pandemic and a downpour of freezing rain. 

So, I had not been in the barn for almost two years. Man, oh, man. The day we began to clean out the clutter to prepare for our renovations, it became apparent the barn had become a ginormous storage shed. Too much old hay and junk had accumulated in the 1,000-not-exactly-square-foot building.

Now, we know where all our sleds landed. Every year, it seemed like we were buying a new sled because we couldn’t find our old ones. The lost sleds were found tucked among bales of hay. Other little treasures were located and corralled into their proper places. However, we stuffed numerous trash bags full of filthy, unsalvageable items.

At times, the task was overwhelming. It reminded me of how we sometimes tend to hold on to things in life that we no longer need or that are not healthy for us. Too many material goods, unhealthy habits, bad attitudes. We try to deal with them all by ourselves and discover it’s exhausting.

God may deem that hard labor, such as cleaning the barn, is good for us. But, thankfully, He is more than willing to do the spiritual cleansing of our hearts all by Himself. He’s the only one qualified and capable of doing it anyway. When I see the condition of my heart beginning to clutter, I cry, Abba Father, help me. And He is faithful to do it every time.

As far as the renovations of the barn go, the Lord also has helped me muster some creative power and some manpower. Both are essential.

The next post in this three-part series: To Gather Again: Create a Special Place will be “Muster the Creative Power & the Muscle Power.”

Are you considering creating a special place for when you gather with loved ones again? Perhaps you already have a space. What makes it special to you?