There’s no doubt about it, being a mom is tough today. With so many crazy things happening in our families, relationships, jobs, and schedules—not to mention the complete insanity going on in the world—a peaceful heart may seem like an impossibility.
Yet, each of us has a built-in longing to live in perfect peace. And we desperately desire peace in our families and for our precious children, too.
Let’s do a bit of a self-evaluation together and see how you are doing with being a peaceful mom.
The Peaceful Mom Quiz
* Do you often feel spiritually exhausted and empty?
* Do you regularly lose your temper with your children or feel impatient?
* Do you notice your mind racing with worry and all the scary what-if scenarios that could happen?
* Do you put your kids and your desires for them above the Lord, your husband, or your marriage (if you are married)?
* Do you excuse yourself from modeling for your children a strong, life-changing, unshakeable faith in Christ?
* Do you tend to feel like you are the only one who truly knows what is best for your children and who trusts God to lead them?
* Do you feel like you just can’t overcome your negative and/or hormonal emotions, such as anger, fear, or sadness?
* Do you often act like a people pleaser, martyr, or control freak, or love your children with strings attached?
* Do you sometimes grapple with holding on to grudges, unforgiveness, or bitterness?
* Do you feel like you would finally experience real peace and happiness if only you had better children, a better husband, or better circumstances?
If you answered yes to any of these important questions, I have great news. First, you are not alone. In my experience, almost all moms struggle with at least some of these issues. I know I myself could have answered yes to every single one of these questions about nine years ago.
Second, there is hope! We don’t have to stay in this place of spiritual barrenness, worry, and discouragement. The Lord has provided a path to real peace in our daily lives through His Word.
5 Keys to Real Peace
Here are some critical keys I have found on my own journey of discovery to become a peaceful mom:
1. Choose to allow Jesus alone, the Prince of Peace, to sit firmly on the throne of your heart. If anything or anyone else competes for His place there, you will not experience His peace.
2. Carve out the time you need with God to praise Him, thank Him, and fellowship with Him. As you spend time soaking in His love, in His Word, and in prayer, He radically transforms your mind and heart. He restores your soul, and this leads to great peace.
3. Invite God to help you examine your fixed beliefs and thinking about Him, relationships, and yourself. As you allow Him to help you eliminate lies (big and small) and embrace His truth, He heals you spiritually in amazing ways. This leads to the ability to have peace with God, your children, others, and yourself.
4. Develop the discipline of taking your thoughts captive to Christ so that you can walk in the victory of Christ over negative emotions, tempting thoughts, and even crazy hormones. Then you can often avoid even starting down the mental and spiritual pathways that lead away from peace.
5. Seek to treat others with respect and honor, responding with the power of the Spirit rather than in destructive ways. When you set a godly example, you open the gates of heaven to pour the Lord’s life, healing, and peace into your family and relationships.
If you are interested in discovering the meat behind each of these keys, plus even more steps that you can take in your life to live in God’s peace, I invite you to check out my newest book, The Peaceful Mom: Building a Healthy Foundation with Christ as Lord, a book for moms of any age. It’s an easy-to-read, step-by-step guide to help you discover the abundant spiritual life and divine peace that is available to you in Jesus.
Building a Healthy Foundation with Christ as Lord
The best part is that as you become a peaceful mom, you also learn to give the same tools to your children so they can learn to live in God’s supernatural peace, too. There is no greater gift than that for our children!
