Your first apartment with mismatched chairs is still a place where God can be welcome.

The idea that a place has to be finished before it counts keeps people apologising for where they live. Mismatched chairs are what an actual beginning looks like, and no home becomes holy once the furniture matches. What makes a place welcoming is what happens in it, who gets fed, who gets to stay late, whether God is part of the conversation.

Have somebody over before the place is ready, this month. Cook something simple and say grace out loud if that is who you are. The room does not need to be impressive to be somewhere God is welcome.