Starting today throughout the month of October, I’m joining Courtney from Women Living Well on her, “Making Your Home a Haven” challenge.
Every Monday this month I will be sharing what I’m praying for my home and ways that I’m striving to cultivate it in myself, my family and my home.
Today I’m lighting a candle along with Courtney to remind myself to pray for peace each time that I see it.
Week One: Praying for Peace
Lately I’ve felt like a referee in my home. I don’t know if getting back into a routine is throwing things off, the possible lifestyle changes are affecting moods and attitude or what, but we are in need of peace in our home desperately.
Cultivating Peace in Myself
In order to bring peace to my home, it first must start with me because as mom I greatly set the tone and mood for the rest of the home. As we’re starting this challenge, God laid the following steps on my heart to help cultivate peace in myself.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
- Begin my day in prayer
- Be in God’s word each day
- Pray for continued peace each time I see the candle
- Eat before I’m starving
Cultivating Peace in My Family
As a parent, it is my job to direct and help cultivate attributes, good attitudes and more in my family. God brought a few ideas to my mind for cultivating peace in my family this week.
- Ensure the kids sleep 8-10 hours a night
- Begin our days in prayer together
- Have a quiet reading time each day
- Encourage and require inside voices in the home
- Disciple immediately following incorrect behavior or attitudes
- Help/teach the kids to talk (vs. yell) through their disagreements
- Memorize Matthew 5:9 together
Cultivating Peace in My Home
My homes atmosphere needs to be calm and clean in order for peace to rule inside it’s walls. A few ways that I’m going to striving to create peace in my home are…
- Keep clutter to a minimum (messes stress me out)
- Stay on schedule (it’s how the kids and I function best)
- Meal plan
- Work on one family project a day together (dishes, dinner, gardening, baking, etc.)
- No PC work outside business house (I have set work times and must stick to them)
In order to have peace in my home, I must first be willing to make changes myself, before implementing the changes I’d like to see in everyone/everywhere else in my home. That is why this challenge begins with me. I must be a peacemaker to properly teach my children to do the same.
I made a printable for my home this week to help us memorize Matthew 5:9, you can click on the link below to download a free copy for your home if you’d like.
Get Your FREE Matthew 5:9 Printable For the Home Here
In what ways do you cultivate peace in your home?
I’m thrilled to be teaming up with some of my favorite girls online as a new co-host to a Monday link up here at Beautiful Ashes.
More specifically, how are we as blogging mommies, wives, and women, being salt and light towards others online?
Here is your chance to generously sprinkle some salt and shine a light: a link up where you share a post that you enjoyed recently from someone else’s blog or website.
Be the Salt & the Light to the world this week and share:
- Faith in Jesus – What inspired your faith walk with Jesus
- Marriage – What touched your heart for your spouse
- Singleness – What has inspired you to reach out to God
- Mothering – What encouraged you to be the best mom you can be this week
- Health – A new recipe that you hope to bless your family with, or health tip that will benefit your family
- Service – A story of service that touched you
- Finances – A tip that will serve your family well
- Homemaking – Inspiration to make your home a haven for your husband, kids, and guests
- Time – Share a story that opened your eyes to the use of time in our life
- Beauty – A reminder of what beauty really is in a world that tries so hard to
And of course, if you have written an encouraging post you would like to add to the link up, go ahead link up a second, personal post.
Weekly Feature:
Bridget, Mandy, Marissa and I are picking our own favorites each week to feature, so make sure to check out both of our sites to see if you were featured. My favorite this week is “Anemic Women of the Christian Faith” by Kaylene.
Your Chance to be Salt & Light
More specifically, how are we as blogging mommies, wives, women, being salt & light towards others online?
Here is your chance to generously sprinkle some salt and shine a light: a link up where you share a post that you enjoyed recently from someone else’s blog or website.
Make sure to follow Marissa, Bridget, Misty and Mandy so you don’t miss future opportunities to be Salt & Light to others! Oh and check out Salt & Light’s pinterest board… your post might just show up there!
The fine print: Please understand that by linking up with the Salt & Light, you are agreeing to allow Rays of Grace & Joy, Beautiful Ashes, Women of Worship or Becoming a Godly Wife to feature you in a future post. That includes a link to your post, and a picture you’ve used on that post. You are also allowing Rays of Grace & Joy, Beautiful Ashes, Women of Worship or Becoming a Godly Wife to share any post you link up with pinterest, facebook, twitter and/or google+. Also, by posting in this hop, you are allowing your email address to be used for a weekly reminder of the hop – your email will not be used for any other purpose, period.
My boys are all grown-up, but I can remember those crazy days of growing up! I don’t know why brothers have to fight so much!! Now, my empty nest is pretty quiet most of the time. But, there’s still much for me to learn about peace. I loved your very practical tips. And yes, if I don’t start my day with the Lord, there isn’t going to be peace in my heart nor peace in my home. Just because things are quiet on the outside, doesn’t mean that everything’s calm on the inside.
May we seek peace, and strive to maintain it.
GOD BLESS!
Yes, it truly is crazy growing up days around here lately! LOL! Yes, peace must begin within and prayer is the place to start! <3 Blessings Sharon!
I LOVED your thoughts on HOW to cultivate peace in your home. Beautifully done! <3
Thanks love <3
I pray for my family often, but not always for my home. Thank you for the reminder, the examples, and the link-up, Misty.
Yes, me too. When Courtney first shared this series coming up I felt like the Lord wanted me to pray for the atmosphere of my home as well. Blessings Heather.
Having peace in our home does so often begin with being peace in our home. You have some great ideas here on how to do that in practical ways. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, we must be peace in our homes because peace is what we need in our homes and lives! Blessings Lisa!
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