We just bought a home.

The last months have been filled with boxes, tape, boxes, bubble wrap, boxes, items we forgot we had, (and did I mention boxes?). 

Oh, and we had our second baby one month before moving in.

I know, we’re nuts. 

My personality wants to have everything done, decorated, perfectly placed and spaced right NOW. 

But, as life goes, rarely does it ever happen that way (any other mommas can testify). 

Something about slowing down, especially a forced slow down, has a way of bringing life into perspective. As I sat feeding my infant, my toddler standing at my knees, I began to think of all the things I wanted to DO in my new house. How I wanted it to look. How I wanted the layout of the furniture. How I wanted the placement of the accent pieces on the mantle. 

The more I studied it, the more I realized that regardless of the look, it’s the feeling of the home that matters most. 

Think about it...We’ve all been to those homes where something just doesn’t feel right. Maybe there is marital tension. Maybe it’s a hidden sin. 

Then there are the homes that instantly make you feel at peace (cue that Grandma’s house-feeling). 

I thought, I want my house to be a peaceful place!

And, ladies, it’s biblical!

Titus 2 instructs the “aged women” to teach the younger in many areas including being "keepers at home."

1 Timothy 5:14 also says, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 

How plain is that!? The Bible targets the lady (wife, mother, grandmother) specifically to keep and guide the home. Here is an interesting tidbit: “keepers at home” is derived from the Greek word meaning “a guard.”

Wow! What a responsibility! 

I often find myself placing all the responsibility on my husband as the head of the home, but, biblically, the ladies play a very important role, too. 

I have heard some say that mothers are the ones who bring peace to the home. (Ever heard the phrase, “If momma ain’t happy...?). 

"So," you say, "how do I keep my home?"

It is more than just cleaning our homes, although that is certainly a part of it. 

Again, we can find our answer from God’s precious Word.

Psalms 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” 

Our very foundation must be rooted in and built by the Lord.

Prayer, my friend, is the vital key in your peaceful habitation. Praise, sweet lady, is what sets the atmosphere for God Himself to step into your home. Worship, that precious sacrifice of self, will allow the peace of Almighty God to sweep in and change chaos into perfect calm. 

Daily, we must allow God to build our home; otherwise, we are simply spinning our wheels.

So, instead of the perfectly decorated facade, let us desire the perfect peace of God to permeate every portion of our homes. Through prayer, worship, and praise, we can guard our sanctuary and all those within its walls.

I urge you...give it a try.