Keeping the Peace: the practical things that keep me sane

I don't know about you, but it's not uncommon for me to feel like I'm treading water (... and in the summer, it feels a lot more like I'm just plain drowning).

I want to feel that Shalom- that perfect, complete wholeness and peace. I want to live it out every day.

It's hard to find that place of peace when I can't find a pair of clean socks, or when I don't know when that dentist appointment is, or when I'm unprepared and overwhelmed.

Of course, some of those panic-stricken moments are beyond my control- and that's why I need a firm foundation in the peace of God alone.

But really, a lot of those stressful, drowning times? They're because of me. It's my own darn fault.

If the laundry is piling up, it's because I haven't done it. If the dentist appointment gets missed, it's because I didn't write it down. Many of the peace-stealers in my life are the direct result of my own laziness or lack of preparation.

Really, now- don't we have enough going on without making it harder on ourselves?

I'm gonna say yes.

Now, some of you are reading this with amusement. You've got this down- your home is reasonably clean without making you an angry-crazy person. You have a plan for feeding your family. Missing an appointment? Never. Queens of juggling ninety-million things, these posts are not for you. You could teach me a thing or a hundred (and many of you have).

These posts are really for me- for the me of two years ago who had no idea how to keep the peace in my own home in practical ways.

And I'm still learning. I'm still struggling with the basics. And the way I do things may not be the way that works for you- and that's okay. I've learned everything I know from other people, and figured out the methods that work for me in this season of life.

In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of the things that keep the peace in my life- the stuff that's super-practical and probably pretty obvious- but keeps me sane, peaceful, and on track.