I bought my kitchen table secondhand off of Craigslist. It only came with three chairs, which I figured was fine since I planned to push one side of the table up against a wall anyway. The table was dark wood with some obvious signs of wear, but we were a family with one kid and another on the way, so I knew it would end up being even further dinged up in no time.

My kitchen table has slowly become sort of the hub of the house. It’s the perfect spot to catch up with a friend over coffee, or to squeeze in several friends for an impromptu wine and guac night (there is a much roomier dining room table like two feet away—we still smash in around this kitchen table. Scientists will one day study this phenomenon). It’s a catch-all for the kids’ latest art projects, papers from their school that I should have filled out last week, and all the snacks we dig into too often to throw back into the pantry. And in the quiet moments, it’s my favorite spot to sit down and write.

Needless to say, the kitchen table is a bit of a hot mess. Constantly in transition. Tasked with a seemingly random and wild variety of jobs, taking on various roles throughout the day. There’s so much happening with such a limited amount of space. You see where I’m going with this whole thing now, right?

I think if I were a piece of furniture in my house, I’d be that kitchen table. This current life space I occupy can be summed up simply as “SO MUCH.” There’s SO MUCH going on. There are four people in this house, and everyone has their things, and I’m somehow attempting to keep up with all the things, and it’s just SO MUCH.

So much chaos. So much stuff to remember. So much to do.

But also. So much love. So much joy. So much laughter. So much peace. So much Jesus, in so many moments every single day. SO MUCH.

My kitchen table isn’t fancy, and neither is my life. It is absolutely imperfect, dented, worn down, scratched up in places. Missing a chair. Stretched thin at times. But wow if it isn’t full of SO MUCH life.

Here’s to seeing the holiness in your own kitchen table.

Chelsea