The Peace-Filled Home Part Two

*click here for part one of The Peace-Filled Home series*

I have a thing for pendulums. I’ve talked a little bit about them here before.

Perhaps it’s the fact that a pendulum is always trying to find the center. They are made using a fixed point and as they swing back and forth there is an effort, a straining, towards getting back to that point.

That point is the equilibrium.

Here’s the thing though, when you tilt a pendulum too far to one extreme or the other, it has to work so much harder to get back to that fixed point. It strains to find the equilibrium.

I think that when it comes to the care and keeping of our homes, our cultural pendulum seems to swing wildly from one extreme to the next. Which means finding a center, a balance, becomes an incredibly challenging task.

Many years ago, June Cleaver was held up as the ultimate homemaker. Calm, patient, unflappable, never a raised voice, high heels on, pearls around the neck and always prepared for whatever minor childhood crisis her sons (or Edie Haskell!) found themselves in for that particular episode.

June Cleaver was an extreme. While she embodied so many of the wonderful things about that decade, wearing heels and a twin-set while cleaning toilets seems so utterly unrealistic nowadays that it is laughable.

That being said, as is so often the case, in order to rebel against one extreme we tend to go to the opposite extreme.

Pearls are out and yoga pants are in! Frankly, I love me a good pair of elastic waist pants and I couldn’t even remotely imagine cleaning my house in any other attire. But I think in our attempt to get away from the June Cleaver syndrome we may have thrown the pearl wearing baby out with the pristinely clean bathwater.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think we’ve made amazing strides towards relaxing that ridiculous standard of homemaking. I think that we have become women who are more involved with our families than ever before. I think that we have embraced the truth that we don’t have to be perfect or put up a front of having it all together. Most importantly, I think we’ve realized that high heels and housework don’t mix well. 😉

And all of that is awesome. So, so awesome!

But somewhere along the line I believe that the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction that we have started believing that it is impossible to have a peace-filled home in the midst of the chaos of life. We are believing the lie that we are, in fact, BETTER when we have homes that are crazy, messy and overwhelming. That happy kids only come from homes where we completely let go of everything.

And I don’t believe that.

I believe in that pendulum. I believe in it’s desire to get back to the fixed point. I believe in a balance between the two extremes.

I believe it’s possible to have busy lives, active schedules and yes even some chaos and still have a peace-filled home.

I believe that most of us still long for our homes to be a sanctuary. A respite from the craziness of the world.

Now, hear me LOUD AND CLEAR when I say that when I’m referring to a peace-filled home I’m not talking about perfection. And peace is not the absence of stress. But peace is possible in the midst of it all.

And ladies, I believe that it starts with us!

You know that saying “if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”? Well, it’s true.

For better or for worse, we set the tone in our homes. Frankly, it stinks. But just because I don’t like the fact that when I’m on a moody rampage everyone in my home is a bit on edge doesn’t make it any less true that my mood tends to dictate the general vibe of our house.

I think that until we address the issue of having a peace-filled heart, we can’t really address the issue of having a peace-filled home.

Because our home reflects our heart and our heart reflects our home.

So, let’s start peeling back those layers together.

Next time we meet I’ll be talking about how I’ve come to a place of peace in my own heart and how that has translated into my home.

But until then, what are your thoughts on this? Let’s talk!