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Creating a peaceful home in a world of turmoil

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pin for creating a peaceful home.

As a Christian homemaker, we want to create a peaceful home, even in a world of turmoil. 

We’ve all seen “turmoil” in the world today. I don’t have to mention specifics, your mind already knows the ones you’re particularly disturbed by. 

We want to talk about what we can actually do about it. 

Creating a peaceful home for our precious family members is our way we can fight back against the evils of this world. 

peaceful and joyful family smiling at each other.

That may sound a bit dramatic, but I stand by it. 

Breaking down “the family” has been the greatest undoing of society today. By nurturing our family and strengthening our familial bonds, we are in effect, healing a small bit of society. 

And we just never know what beauty will come from our efforts!

As usual, it starts within US. We can’t be creating peaceful and beautiful environments if we are debilitated by anxiety and stress. (I would bet many of us have tried.) Peace of mind is important.

So, how can we find any inner peace when the outside world really is full of …. sin.

stressed out mother in white shirt.

In this life, we will probably never see real world peace. We understand that knowing about all the evil things in the world doesn’t help us fix any of them. So why do we heap the burdens upon ourselves? 

I’m not saying we need to bury our heads in the sand and not have a clue what’s going on. We certainly should be somewhat informed.

But, are we honoring God with our time and energy if we are trying to carry all the sins of the world? I think not.

Unless you’ve been called to a particular ministry that is outside your home, then press on soldier! 

But for the modern woman, whose primary calling is being a homemaker working in the physical space of home, there are a few things we can do.

We can focus on the good things. 

I love this passage of scripture, and I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s so fitting in many areas of life. 

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Philippians 4:8

When Paul wrote these words, he was in the midst of plenty of political unrest. It was not peaceful.

Even when we could dwell on all of the terrible things in the world (of which there are plenty), we are called to think on things that are lovely, excellent, pure. 

In a small way, it is a bit of a relief to see that we are not called in scripture to keep up on all the terrible news of the world, but to protect our minds by thinking about the true, lovely, and praiseworthy things.

person's hands reaching in to a basket of fresh garden produce.

In fact, the world has always been full of all kinds of evil, but it’s only the past few years that we have access to all of the worldwide news.

Did the pilgrims know about the wildfires on another continent? Probably not. 

Our mental health is actually important, and we don’t need to apologize for it.

I’m not saying we deserve to be coddled and we can’t be bothered with anything unpleasant. But we really should be limiting our external stimuli to some extent.

Mental peace is where we will build our homes from.

I remember a few years ago, trying to nurse my baby to sleep while I was a ball of nerves, wondering if my children were ever going to have joy in this life. I was letting my mind dwell on all the terrible “what if” scenarios.

It was NOT peaceful, and I was not caring well for my home and family. I was a mess.

I was not honoring God in my primary mission of being a homemaker because the evils of the world were leaking in to our home.

We are the gatekeepers of our home, and we must hold our ground.

building on fire at night.

If this is an area you tend to struggle in, then maybe you could ask your husband to help you. You could ask him to keep you informed as much as you’d like to be.

Our husbands are our protectors.

Honestly, I did this and I’ve been so much more able to create a peaceful environment. I know if there’s any really big things going on, he’s going to let me know. Otherwise, I pretty much avoid the news altogether. 

Maybe that’s not for everyone, but for our family it has worked wonders. 

So if we aren’t necessarily called to carry the burdens of the entire world…. were our children? 

Of course we’d all say “absolutely not!” Not at a young age anyway. This world will become theirs soon enough, and we just have to do all we can to nurture them and equip them now. 

 So, if your husband is giving you the highlights of the news, make sure you take note of who is all listening. Our kids are tiny sponges, and even if they look otherwise occupied, they are probably listening to us. 

How much or little you share with your kids will look different for each family, but let’s just be aware that they might not need to know everything.

Let them witness us bravely facing what lies ahead, confident because we know the One who holds all things. 

peaceful bible time with tea.

Taking care of ourselves should include making sure we get the things we need.

I’m not just talking about food and rest (although those are super important). We need to find what refuels us and take in God’s word regularly.

If you just get up a little before the kids and cozy up in one of your favorite places with a cup of something warm while reading scripture, you will feel way more equipped for anything else that comes for the rest of the day.

Reorienting ourselves to God’s word will drastically lower our stress levels, as we will be reminded what is actually important. 

A quiet time doesn’t have to happen at 5am either, you could arrange for a time of reading (for everyone) in the afternoon.

Whatever works for you. Just make sure you are taking care of yourself! 

Creating a peaceful home!

cozy bedroom with cup of tea on bed.

Practically, there are plenty of small steps we can take to create a peaceful home environment. We already discussed the first step, which is to help ourselves not be consumed by the worldly turmoil.

But once we’ve worked to (somewhat) shelter our homes from the news and social media, what other ways can we create a peaceful home environment?

A huge theme here will be traditions.

Traditions and routines, will play a huge part in creating a safe, unwavering home environment for everyone under your roof.

This is a great way to give structure and predictability for the family. Kids especially thrive so much when they have consistency in their daily life. 

I know if there are big huge terrible events happening outside our own homes, we tend to throw out the routines. We should try, as best we can, to hold on to our routines and keep our little celebrations happening on pace. 

In my previous post about “Creating family traditions“, we discuss lots of ways to add in new family traditions and weekly celebrations. 

I’m not saying we need to max ourselves out by our routines, they should serve us. If our to-do list threatens to devour us, we won’t be very peaceful will we? 

Even a simple movie night every Friday night will keep the whole family coming together regularly with minimal prep on our parts. This might become one of our favorite things for us parents as well.

Let’s keep tending our relationships with our families!

peaceful. mealtime with family.

Another wonderful way to create a peaceful place at home, is with family dinner. (related: making mealtime more peaceful)

Part of our daily routines, should consist of eating meals together with our families.

Of course everyone needs to be nourished. But just as important is our need for connection, security, and camaraderie.

This will bring about safe emotional spaces for the family to have discussions about things that may be on their minds.

Here is where we will do much of the equipping of our children for what they will one day face in our uncertain world. We want to nourish deep relationships within our family team.

The food can be simple, but the company will be precious.

Sharing meals together will create a sense of peace that can’t be otherwise found in today’s world.

*This is a great opportunity to invite others in to our peaceful space of our dinner table!

mint colored tea cups and pot with florals around.

In terms of practical advice, the next thing is to physically create a calm environment.

Sometimes, creating a more peaceful home can be difficult to grasp. We all can feel when a space is calm but what exactly makes it that way? 

Create a more peaceful home by minimizing clutter. 

I’m not saying everyone needs to be a minimalist (it’s great though). But I do know how clutter affects how our brains function.

Check out this article.

Whether we realize it or not, our brains are scanning our environments and taking mental notes of everything around us.

No wonder sometimes we get to the end of the day feeling so mentally exhausted!

pile of dirty laundry.

This is especially so when the things we have sitting around us are things we feel we need “to-do”.

Dirty dishes in the sink, piles of laundry to fold, messy living room. It goes on and on… But if we take a couple minutes a few times a day to do a quick tidy(have the kids help!), everyone will feel much more calm.

If it’s hard to get this implemented, turn on your family’s favorite tunes while working. It may just turn into a party!

*Our homes are lived in, and we shouldn’t idolize a perfect home. But we will have a great sense of calm if our living space is somewhat orderly. 

Thinking through our physical senses is a great way to make a mental checklist of what we can do for our homes. 

peaceful woman in cozy robe holding cup of tea next to candles.

Creating a peaceful home by nurturing our sense of smell.

Is there a certain fragrance your family loves? We love a window open for fresh air with some citrus essential oils diffusing. Maybe a vanilla candle is your thing. If so, light it up! 

Or, even better, pop a batch of pumpkin muffins in the oven to really create an inviting aroma.

Creating a peaceful home by nurturing our sense of sight.

We already talked about clutter, but let’s think about lighting. Soft, warm lights are so much more calming to our nervous system than cool fluorescent lights. Some smaller lamps instead of blinding surgical grade lights will be remarkably calming. 

Natural light is also key. Open those curtains! Get that beautiful sunshine pouring into your home. 


Even if you’re fragrance free, some unscented candles can create such a cozy environment in the evenings.  

Creating a peaceful home by nurturing our sense of touch.

window seat set with coffee, notebook, candle, blanket.

I know I’ve harped on minimizing clutter, and we really should. But if you have any cozy trappings to offer for some tiny safe havens throughout your home, that would be great.

Think about a cozy reading nook or a fuzzy blanket on the couch for snuggles. Softer textures around you will make an impact also. Warmer wood tones, soft curtains, knitted cardigans. 

Before you think to go shopping for any of these things, take a look around what you already have. It’s amazing what we can find when we dig through things we’ve already acquired!

It may just be as simple as displaying something a little differently. 

Creating a peaceful home by nurturing our sense of hearing.

sheet music.

On a whim I played some classical music for my kids one day. They don’t know it’s supposed to be “boring”, they just thought it was another type of today’s hits!

Before I knew it, they were asking me to listen “that piano music” again. My point is, you really don’t know what the people in your home might actually love if you give it a chance.

Some soft piano music is a favorite of ours, but if we’re cleaning or cooking we need some upbeat worship music.

The atmosphere of our home should also be void of harsh tones. We can add in all the calm instrumental symphonies, but if it’s layered with argumentative insults, it’s all going to be canceled out.

Our tone of voice is super important as well.

I really have to work on this.

Spending all day with our families makes it so much easier to slip into speaking impatiently and even yelling.

A loving tone will go a long way in creating a safe space.

Creating a peaceful home by nurturing our sense of taste. 

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

Psalm 34:8

God is so good to us. He gives us beautiful varieties of foods to enjoy instead of just giving us a bland monotone substance for our sustenance.

No, he gave us fresh berries, rich sauces, warm spices, hearty meats, and satisfying soups. He is so abundant!

grilled salmon being topped with remoulade sauce with steamed vegetables on side.

This is probably why so many of us struggle with putting meals together… we almost have too many options! 

We’ve already discussed how important mealtimes are with our families. But don’t underestimate the impact of a thoughtfully prepared meal for your loved ones.

What an honor it is to be able to serve our families in this way.

The chaos of the world can sure feel overwhelming if we let it. Take some deep breaths and know you are doing a great work, and it is so important. 

Hi, I’m Stephanie! I’m a Christian wife, mom of 4, homeschooler, and a technically trained chef. I love creating a simple, beautiful life with our sweet family.

I’m so glad you’re here!

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Comments

4 responses to “Creating a peaceful home in a world of turmoil”

  1. I loved this article. It is so easy to get carried away with the chaos and troubles of this world and in a way let it all slip into our homes. Loved each tip you shared for creating a peaceful home in the turmoil.

    1. Thank you so much. It’s so true how it’s so easy to get carried away with the worldly troubles!

  2. You spoke right to my heart. I haven’t watched the news or kept up with current events since 2017. If it’s important, trust me, someone will tell you. This one change brought about so much peace within. Which of course has translated to my home.

    1. It blesses me so much to hear this. Thank you.

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