When we moved here, we bought a new construction house. We will probably never have an opportunity like this again, but because it's the South, we can actually afford it. While I love that we are the first to make memories in this home, there are times that I almost wish we didn't live in such a new house. I hate watching what was once new and seemingly perfect, fall apart. The walls have accumulated dings and dents from Kaiden's attempts to carry kitchen chairs across the room. The imperfectly painted walls show where we colored a bit outside of the lines. Hanging toddler hands have made kitchen drawers a bit harder to pull open. And then there are those dark stains that stretch across our ceiling from the night I set fire to a pot of oil and brilliantly tried to put it out with water. (Just a tip: never put an oil fire out with water.)But it's not even just our home. This past week alone, we broke a recently-purchased, ceramic napkin holder, a unique hand-crafted cup from Mexico and and a stemless wine glass. And so it has been said, "If you have kids, you can't have nice things."But even if we didn't have kids. Things still break. Dust still collects. Kids just expedite the process a bit. ;)I could get upset about it all. But I choose not to. If there is one thing that being a military wife has taught me, it's that we will never put down roots. At least not for a while. And because of that, I have a better understanding that this world is not my home. (Hebrews 13:14) This new construction house is the perfect display of that.It is so incredibly easy to build our kingdom here on earth. We invest so much time in decorating our homes and making it feel comfortable, and while both those things are an important aspect of homemaking, if you are not careful it can lead to discontent, covetousness and envy when you feel like your home doesn't look like what you see on Pinterest or in someone else's home. It can lead to idolatry when your time and thoughts are consumed with tangible objects and accumulating stuff. It can lead to disappointment when it all starts to crumble and fall apart. And the dust, dings and dents are proof that it is falling apart.I thank God for this beautiful, new construction house. I really feel so blessed to live in such a space and I will enjoy it while we are here as much as I can. I also want to be a good steward with what we've been given. The marks on the walls, smoke stains on the ceilings and rickety, kitchen drawers mean nothing in comparison to the kingdom God has laid up for us in heaven. We are here for a short period and our house is simply a temporary dwelling place. (Ecclesiastes 5:15)Don't build your kingdom here on earth because you will be left disappointed when it falls apart. Easier said than done, right? That's only when it's in our own strength. But when our identity is placed in Jesus and not our homes (or anything/anyone else outside of God) we have solid foundation that we can stand on...foundation that will not crumble.