Making a commitment to a peaceful home is essential but not always easy. If your house is like mine it can be a little chaotic at times. But in the long run, will our children describe our homes as a safe place, a peaceful home?

A peaceful home is not about being a “Ward & June Cleaver” home (Video Here).   And a peaceful home is not about being an “instagram family” where everything seems so perfect.  We were more like the awkard family photo above when Abbie was growing up. lol

Families are hard.  They require a lot of attention and energy.

Regardless of how hard it is, I am convinced that children need a peaceful home!

Think about it.

Children are facing so much more than when those of us who are older were growing up.  They are in a battle all day long and they need a place to come and drop their armor at the door.  They need a home where they feel and safe and they can be themselves.  A place where they feel protected and loved.  They need a place were they can rest.

Is your home a shelter from the storms in life? I believe that a child who knows he or she has some shelter at home can handle some pressure and stress during the day. Is your home safe? Is it peaceful?

“Those who respect the LORD will have security, and their children will be protected.” Proverbs 14:26

How do we cultivate more peace in our homes?

A peaceful home comes when I as a parent seek after God and I seek after a relationship with Him. What I have experienced is that when I am neglecting my relationship with the Lord my home which should be the shelter from the storm becomes the center of it. For a lot of kids the home isn’t peaceful.

Take a moment and reflect on your own family as a child. In what ways was your home growing up peaceful or lack peace?

Here are three practical steps to cultivate peace at home.

  1. Focus on your marriage. Good partners make good parents. At an early age, kids learn if there is instability within their family.  An instability with parents affects them later in life. Cultivate the marriage you want your children to experience one day!
  2. Focus on prayer. Healthy kids come from families that pray. A prayerful home leads to a peaceful home.
  3. Focus on your faith.  Billy Graham once said, “Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love.”  Our children need to not only see our faith in the Lord but experience it.  If I am growing in my relationship with the Lord and closer to Him, I will also grow in my relationship with people, especially my family.

What have you found helpful in cultivating a peaceful home?  I’d love to hear your comments and insight.