A SOUTH CAROLINA NATIVE MAKES AN ETERNAL MARK AT HOME

NAME | Rachael Kincaid

NUMBER OF YEARS IN HOME |

PLACE OF RESIDENCE |

Tell us the story of your home. (go as deep or stay as superficial as you want with these) To you, what sets it ap1. Tell us the story of your home. (go as deep or stay as superficial as you want with these) To you, what sets it apart or makes it unique aside from the fact that you and your family are the ones who live in it.

My husband and I scooped up our dream home near our hometown several years back. It’s got farmhouse vibes and was built in 1890. It sits on a few acres and we’re living the dream with some chickens and a rope swing. We’re not in a position financially to remodel the entire thing, but it’s fun to work on one room at a time and really make it our own.

How would you describe your personal home style?

If I had to name my aesthetic, it would be, “You’d never know six kids grew up here.” The walls and couches are white, and the toys are tucked away. I keep a pretty minimalist and tidy home. I find it brings a sense of serenity and security to the chaos that tends to accompany large families with full lives.

What is your favorite space in your home and why?

Probably my bedroom! It’s free of technology and pictures and the bed is comfortable. I also love the spot on my couch where I read my Bible most mornings. The sun creeps in and the whole world feels ripe with possibility when I’m sitting there, reading and sipping my iced coffee.

If you could share one thing about yourself with readers that you've perhaps never shared publicly or via social media, what would it be?

Gosh, that’s hard! I’ve been online since dial-up internet! I will say people are often surprised to find that I’m an introvert, because I stay pretty bubbly on social media. I love being around people but I feel most charged up after a few hours alone. I can power through an entire book on Audible in a single day if you’ll let me!

What was life like for you growing up in your childhood home?

I had a glorious childhood. My little brother and I talk about this all of the time. We spent our formative years in a small neighborhood with a pool and tennis courts, the kind of neighborhood where you could bicycle everywhere and stay out after dark. My childhood bedroom was a fun space, too, one that my parents did their best to personalize for me. My favorite bedroom setup had pale yellow walls and sky-blue bedding with clouds on it. I went through a zebra phase later, too.

What does home mean to you? What do you want others to feel when they enter/spend time in your home?

Home means peace. No matter the location, no matter how many times home must change, I always want my family and guests to feel a sense of peace. Jesus lives in our home and I want folks to really experience him just from hanging out with us at home.

Proudest DIY?

I guess I’d have to say our chicken coop, which my grandfather designed and helped us build. Or maybe the floating bookshelves that I dreamed up and my husband installed in less than an hour! There’s a pattern here… I dream of beautiful things, and the men I love make them come true for me.

Do you think you've learned to embrace your story? Your home? Why or why not? Explain.

Great questions! I’d say I’ve learned to embrace my story. I’m quite comfortable with my past and present, and expectant for my future. It is far more difficult to be content with my home. We’re working with a bare bones kitchen and bathrooms, for example, and I struggle with the notion of my kids outgrowing the space before it ever fully feels like ours. What helps, though, is seeing photos and memories made in the house as is, knowing that my family is content here and it’s okay if we never get the floors redone or a real shower installed.

If there was one piece of advice that you could give to others as to how to embrace their home and their story, what would that sound like?

Clear the clutter! For real. Your kids will survive with less toys. Your kitchen can handle fewer dishes. Your closet won’t miss the clothes you never wear anyway. Pick one room at a time, and clear the clutter. I’ve found that having less things in my home actually makes it feel bigger, cleaner, and readier to host. Not only that, but having less to clean up or worry about gives me more time and space to focus on the things that matter.

How does what you do currently in your professional life/ministry tie into this idea that home is "more than just a place we live" and that it holds much more of a redemptive and restorative power than we may currently embrace culturally?

I work in healthcare, as a hospice nurse. My husband works, in vocational ministry as a worship pastor. In a sense, we both pour ourselves out for a living. Home is place where we fill back up. Home is where we start our days, side by side on the couch in our Bibles. Home is where we reflect and reset, so we can refresh the world we meet when we walk out of its doors.