As a mom, I want the very best for my husband and my son. I want a home environment that is warm, inviting, safe and spiritually sound. There are many facets to creating a thriving home and it can feel overwhelming. I still times where all I see is what we're doing wrong and how I'm failing to maintain the home and family I so desperately want.
When we feel like we're failing in the moment, we must remember the big picture. The condition of our home is built day by day, hour by hour in the choices we make. The sum total of your choices, actions, and words must be to the good and to the glory of God but that doesn't mean if have a momentary lapse that we have failed.
I found the secrets to building a thriving home are simple. They require daily commitment and some strategy plus your time and attention. You might say, “But I don't have any more time or attention to give.” I encourage you to make time to implement these four keys in your home and you will find that you are putting out fewer fires, feeling less anxiety and your home will being to transform into a thriving environment.
The four keys to creating a thriving home are:
-
- Pray daily
- Plan well
- Parent wisely
- Pour into your marriage
Let's explore these a bit deeper.
Prayer Daily
If you are not in a good routine of time with the Lord every day this is the first step in creating a thriving home. Your home cannot thrive if you are not in relationship with Christ. Sure, you'll have good days, maybe good weeks. But when the storms come the relationship with Christ is what helps you stay grounded and not swayed by the current situation.
Prayer creates an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit is welcome. Your home's undertone is determined by the presence or absence of the Holy Spirit. He is what makes your home that safe place where people “feel” like they want to be.
Daily time in prayer and Bible reading will impact your emotions and mental stability which will flow into all other areas of home management.
Plan Well
I admit, planning and organizing come easy for me. That doesn't mean I employ this key all the time. Sometimes my home gets unorganized. In those times, I realize just how important organization and planning are. From menu planning to daily routines and schedules, proper planning will help you avoid being late, forgetting important things, and all the stress that goes with disorganization.
I like to use List Planit and a daily spiral-bound planner to keep life organized. You may like digital planning instead, it doesn't matter. Planning well will keep you on track, organized, help your budget and keep your stress reduced.
When the calendar is too full, the stress is too high. Seeing your schedule on paper or your tablet can be eye opening. Creating a thriving home means your lives are organized and planned well. It doesn't mean micro-managed or over scheduled but it means a routine and plan that everyone is aware of. Children thrive in a predictable environment, planning helps you create what they need.
Parent Wisely
We've spent the last five years trying to figure out how to be good parents. I suspect we'll spend the next 40 doing the same thing. We all want to be the best parents we can be. I've found parenting is part strategy, part discipleship and part throwing all the rules out the window and doing what works with your child.
Guilt won't help you be a better mom, but God will. I believe the Bible shows us how to parent by showing us how we are to live with the fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives. Then, we can disciple our children. Your mindset as a mom goes a long way in creating a thriving home. Even if you homeschool, your children will eventually go out from you. You want them to know that you and your home are a safe place for them when the world gets to be too much.
Pour Into Your Marriage
Creating a thriving home means building a strong marriage. I have noticed when I'm longing for more connection with my husband and when I'm feeling like our relationship has taken a back seat it affects my mood and that affects my parenting and our home atmosphere. You want your home to be a place where your husband feels secure, safe and free from the stresses of life at work. If you work too then you know that feeling of coming home and being hidden away from the day's pressures.
Sometimes it takes a step of faith to work on your marriage. I get that. Wounds run deep and it isn't always easy to look past the let downs, disappointments and hurts you've experienced. But in a thriving home, your marriage must be a continual work. It should be evolving and growing with God in the center. As your work toward creating a thriving home, pour into your marriage. Get creative, learn new ways to love your man and have fun together.
If you feel like your family is all alone together it is not too late. Small steps today can make turn a run-of-the-mill home into a thriving one.
Join our free community and get access to great free resources like our prayer calendars:
Leave a Reply