A verse I’ve been meditating on a lot recently is Colossians 3:15.  It begins: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. . .”

Well, this verse really does extend pretty deep into the human soul. And, one area I’ve focused on is its extension into our home.  Our home? Really? Let me explain.

I do value a peaceful home.  It takes hard work and lots of prayer, and a lot of days I still don’t feel like we’re better off. If the home is a peaceful place then we know it’s a safe haven from the craziness of the world.  If the home is crazy? Well, all bets are off and chaos can often ensue.

So, let me offer a few comments about organization as a root of peace in our home. My mom has had our kids over the past several days and part of our work during the extra time we’ve had has included organizing our home. Here’s a short list of things we’ve done:

• We’ve taken steps to get our final papers and power of attorney docs in order (morbid, I know).
• We’ve added some furniture to reduce clutter in our entry way and our living room.
• The same furniture should also help reduce the time we spend looking for things, while teaching our children to be responsible for knowing where their things are.
• We adopted a system to help us process the mail better, rather than having large piles that may or may not be hidden in several areas, including cluttering up the space set aside for where we eat (nothing like worrying about that medical bill while trying to enjoy some great food from the grill).
• I also used some extra time to research health care options, a retirement plan, and make some financial transactions.
• Finally, and perhaps most important, we will have a plan as school starts to keep God at the center of our home through prioritized family devotions (which sometimes are a struggle with summer’s scattered schedule) and prayer.

You know what’s great about that list? Absolutely none of it is guaranteed to work! But, believing peace is Biblical value and wanting more peace and stability in our home, it is our hope that our stress will be reduced and our Lord will be honored as we begin the next season of our lives.

Think: Do you value peace? Is there another area in your life besides home organization that could better reflect peace in your life?

Act: What plans can you make to allow the peace of Christ to dwell deeper in your life?

A verse I’ve been meditating on a lot recently is Colossians 3:15.  It begins: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. . .”

Well, this verse really does extend pretty deep into the human soul. And, one area I’ve focused on is its extension into our home.  Our home? Really? Let me explain.

I do value a peaceful home.  It takes hard work and lots of prayer, and a lot of days I still don’t feel like we’re better off. If the home is a peaceful place then we know it’s a safe haven from the craziness of the world.  If the home is crazy? Well, all bets are off and chaos can often ensue.

So, let me offer a few comments about organization as a root of peace in our home. My mom has had our kids over the past several days and part of our work during the extra time we’ve had has included organizing our home. Here’s a short list of things we’ve done:

• We’ve taken steps to get our final papers and power of attorney docs in order (morbid, I know).
• We’ve added some furniture to reduce clutter in our entry way and our living room.
• The same furniture should also help reduce the time we spend looking for things, while teaching our children to be responsible for knowing where their things are.
• We adopted a system to help us process the mail better, rather than having large piles that may or may not be hidden in several areas, including cluttering up the space set aside for where we eat (nothing like worrying about that medical bill while trying to enjoy some great food from the grill).
• I also used some extra time to research health care options, a retirement plan, and make some financial transactions.
• Finally, and perhaps most important, we will have a plan as school starts to keep God at the center of our home through prioritized family devotions (which sometimes are a struggle with summer’s scattered schedule) and prayer.

You know what’s great about that list? Absolutely none of it is guaranteed to work! But, believing peace is Biblical value and wanting more peace and stability in our home, it is our hope that our stress will be reduced and our Lord will be honored as we begin the next season of our lives.

Think: Do you value peace? Is there another area in your life besides home organization that could better reflect peace in your life?

Act: What plans can you make to allow the peace of Christ to dwell deeper in your life?