Peace, how to have it in your home? Can we actually have peace in our homes? Is it really possible? I am sure your house is just like mine. I have four children, a husband, 2 dogs, and other miscellaneous pets. They all have different personalities. Each person can bring a different need and desire to the table.
We have struggled through work, school, church, and other obligations outside the home. Chaos came sometimes seem to reign in other places, but my home was meant to be a sanctuary.
Years ago a cross-stitched a little piece of art and it said, “Home that our feet may leave but never our hearts.” This little phrase embodied for me how I wanted my home to feel and that is probably what you wanted too.
Our needs and desires change day-to-day. Every day is never the same. So a real effort has to be made to keep peace and home. It will be up to you to decide how to make your home a sanctuary and bring peace there. What does peace look like in a home?
A Sanctuary Home
Peace: freedom from disturbance; tranquility.
Dictionary
Maybe an even better way to look at peace in the home is to consider this way we think of peace when we hear the word.
There is something about the ocean and water that reminds us of peace. Maybe it is the rhythm, so consistent and balanced. It could the fact that it is always the same, yet ever so slightly different each time.
Even the prophet Isaiah in book 48:18 says, “Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;” Here again the picture of water and oceans offer us a glimpse of what peace can look like.
So, thinking about rivers and oceans help us to know where to start and what we want our homes to reflect.
Freedom from disturbance, tranquility, balance, and lack of chaos. When everyone converges on your 4 walls, rest and calm should be there. Now you may be asking yourself, why do I need this at home.
Why We Need Peace At Home
Research has shown that families need rest and freedom from chaos.
“Researchers at the University of Louisville, Columbia University, New York University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute studying the effect of household chaos—defined by disorganization, lack of routine, excessive noise, crowdedness, lots of coming and going, or an overly fast pace—have found that that the more chaotic a family’s life is, the more likely their children are to encounter a number of issues, including” Why It’s Important To Control Chaos
Our brains need rest. We already know our bodies need rest too. That does not just involve sleep. There is just too much going in our hearts and minds on a daily basis.
We are bombarded by text, emails, calls, podcasts, music, reading material, computers, tablets, smartphones and all other sorts of things to see and hear on TVs. Not only do we suffer from information overload but just input overload.
Today’s world can be stimulated in so many ways all day long and we need to remove ourselves from that chaos.
Moms need peace, children need peace and dads need peace. There is a reason that Peter told us to, “seek peace and pursue it.” God knows us better than anyone and He knew we would be deceived by business and chaos. So, how can we seek to do this?
Tips For Creating a Sanctuary Home
Clean and Clear spaces
Let’s start with something everyone can do and that is clean up. I have come to realize we have too much stuff. The stuff that is surrounding our living spaces creates chaos in our life.
When you walk into a hotel room, do you feel a certain amount of stress relief? Think just a little about this, there is a bed, made a ready for you. The bathroom has nothing in it except clean towels. The picture in your mind is uncluttered and clean.
Why do we enjoy sitting on the beach and looking at just water? The same can be asked when we sit beside a river or creek, watching it go by. The orderliness of nature and simplicity is calming.
Take that thought into our homes. Spend a day declutter just one room. Remove all the clutter, baskets, magazines, papers lying around. Start in your bedroom and work around to others.
Bedrooms should feel peaceful
In the evening we are all tired. Everyone should have a peaceful place to lie down. It really does not take expensive sheets or bedding to make this happen. It is more about the way your bedroom should make you feel when you get in it.
When we come home from a long trip I often lie down and just say, “Awwwww”, it feels so good to be back at home in my bedroom where I can find rest and peace.
Don’t be afraid to make your bedroom media free. I am talking about digital media. It would be a brave move, but one that can really help to bring peace and tranquility to the bedroom.
Make the first few hours at home media free
Pick some music that is soothing, not entertaining to listen to. Set the tone when everyone is there. Music really can calm the savage beast. It can also provide an environment that is relaxing.
Have you ever gone into a shop and heard the tinkling sounds of music? Remember how it made you feel? You might not remember, but marketers know you will shop longer and spend more because it relaxes you. Use the same trick at home.
Our minds find rest in repetitive sounds that are soft and melodic, like ocean waves. Let the music set the mood for you.
Our conversations with one another
After school and work, we should take the time to unwind. Our conversations with each other should be just that, “conversations.” I need to do that when I get home and guess what, our family members do too.
To often we take this opportunity to pounce on the first things that come to our mind. Like, can you fix that drippy faucet or did you do all of your homework?
One of the restaurants in town came out with a game called Table Talk. It is a stack of cards that ask questions. My granddaughter and I have played it several times. They ask things like, Where is your favorite vacation spot or who is your funniest friend?
Our minds really need to rest and using simple conversations can help with that. Soft language and responses set a tone in the home.
Avoid creating conflict
Can I tell you a story about a mom that just made things really hard on herself?
Her name was Rebecca. She had two very different sons. The youngest was actually favored by her, so much so she set up a scene with her husband to trick him into believing he was giving a very special gift to the oldest. Sadly, he was blind and was giving the gift to the youngest without realizing it.
You can read the full account in Genesis 25:19-34. Because of Rebecca’s interference, she set up a lifetime of grief in her home. The grief that carried on into adulthood. She created chaos in her own home.
Every time I read that story I think, girl, you must have lost your mind temporarily! We need to keep the peace in our homes. Remember, everyone has different personalities and brings different things to the table.
Make home a safe place, where competition, jealousy, and contrition should not be brought in from the outside. Your home should be a place of safety and rest. Everyone should know they can come home and lie their heads down at night in a protected place.
Anxiety is contagious
If you show anxiety your children will show anxiety. Even those around you will feel it and pick up on it. So, having a peaceful home starts with us.
Peace has to come from within you. That is the only way to pass it on. What gives me peace day-to-day, my hope in Jesus Christ.
You can do all the things to make your home a sanctuary or peaceful retreat and I believe you should do that. At the end of the day, the real peace of tomorrow comes from our trust in God. To pass that on to someone else you must possess it.
The things of tomorrow are out of our control, but knowing that God controls gives me that kind of peace.
God’s peace, peace that surpasses all understanding
Phillipians 4:7
Keep the chaos outside your four walls
You can do this, I promise. Just be conscientious about it. Make it a goal to have peace in your home. Start by clearing and cleaning up spaces in your home that are not good for rest and peace. Then begin the hard work of practicing the practical steps towards making home a quiet, calm and safe place.
We are bombarded by questions and answers all day. Media assaults us everywhere we go. Make your home your sanctuary, your safe place, the place to find real peace.
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