I recently was encouraged by this post by the wife of one of the pastors at our home church in Seattle and thought you might enjoy it as well. It is an encouragement about allowing the peace of Christ to dwell within you, as the atmosphere of our homes will reflect what is in our hearts. This is something that has been on my mind as I strive to make our home an oasis in the midst of an often tiring culture and ministry.
Our lives as missionary moms can be incredibly busy as we balance the various demands of raising our children, managing our homes, loving our husbands, participating in ministry, practicing hospitality, learning a foreign language, among various other things. Not to mention that for most of us, the cultures that we live in, though we love them, are still foreign and different than the culture that we were raised in and that shaped our world views, understanding, lifestyle preferences, thought processes, tastes, etc. It seems to me, in this lifestyle, that it is all the more crucial for our home life to be a place of peace and oasis, as it can be more difficult to find places of refuge outside of the home. The most important aspect of this of course is how we go about looking to achieve peace. Order and beauty help with atmosphere, but having the peace of Christ dwelling within us is of far greater affect. On another note, I know many of us don’t live in our ideal homes (no, my home doesn’t look like the above picture), but taking the concept of peace through Christ to heart means that it is perfectly possible for us to be at peace in the homes that God has provided.
Anyway, this is another area that I don’t claim expertise, but where I am striving to grow. I will pray for you too as you strive for peace in your home! Please feel free to share if you know of any other good resources, articles, or blog posts, or have any comments yourself!
thank you for your thoughts on keeping a peaceful home. i find that when i focus more on my house looking peaceful, it usually feels less peaceful. the mess stresses me out, and i hate moving things off the couch in front of someone who has just dropped by for a visit. still, if i had the peace of Christ in those moments, our visitors wouldn’t even notice me making space for them to sit down. they would feel welcomed and at home.
we have had visitors for dinner every night this week so far. i have really enjoyed it and have managed to keep the stress to a minimum by doing a little bit of prep throughout the whole day. chopping veggies at 9am and sticking them in the fridge for later. it makes cooking a lot easier, and i feel like i can actually visit with people.
all that said-making a peaceful home is definitely a mind set that i am still working on and praying about.
So true!!! I love you suggestion about prep throughout the day. I’ve been doing that yesterday and today to get ready for guests today and tomorrow and it makes all the difference! I hope you’ve had a great time with all of you guests!