When you think of your home, what words come to mind? For many, they would say something along the lines of loud, messy, playful, and/or chaotic. For some, they would even describe it as overwhelming. With all the chores, bills, and projects, it may seem like the to-do list never ends. But what if we began looking at our homes as a key piece of territory for the kingdom of God? What if we started seeing our homes as one of the most important and impactful places for cultivating the glory of Christ? I believe that would change the way we view our loud, crazy homes.

Recently, we tried to reframe the way we view our homes during a Sunday morning elective where we studied the book, “Habits of the Household” by Justin Earley. As a group of parents, we had honest discussions about the rhythms and routines of our lives and those of our family. We examined aspects of our daily life like date nights, screen time, mealtime, etc. to determine easy-to-implement rhythms that would help us find meaning in the mundane chaos. Ultimately, we sought to determine if the temperature of our homes was one in which the seeds of faith would have an atmosphere to grow.

Three main takeaways from our elective:

No family has the “perfect temperature”

In our discussions with one another and reading of the book, we realized early on that no one has a formula for this. No one has all the right answers, and no one can predict that if you do X you will get Y result. We live in a sin-filled world, we are sin-filled parents, with a sin-filled spouse and sin-filled kiddos. But that does not mean that there are not things that will move the needle.

Any family can set and reset rhythms

We learned that what feels “normal” in our homes can be changed. We often use excuses like “It’s not normal for me to break out a family devotional during breakfast” or “It’s not normal for me to have an in-home date night”. But it is not normal because I do not make it normal. The beauty is that as a family we can introduce new rhythms that redefine “normal” and that’s what the Habits of the Household book helps us do.

All families can persevere and change

Seasons of life ebb and flow, some months are hectic (think Thanksgiving to Christmas time!) and some are a little more rote, and routine. The good thing about practicing these habits is that you can switch them in and out based on the season and rhythm you are in. You just have to be intentional in continuing to fight against complacency.

Ultimately, if we want our house to have a good “temperature” and rhythms, that starts with us as parents. We need to be filled up with the grace of God constantly. We should be drinking deeply from the scriptures and praying. Even some silence and solitude with God wouldn’t hurt. We cannot teach our children about the grace of God if we are not experiencing it. We cannot disciple our children if we are not also being discipled.

To conclude, if you went through this elective with us, keep pressing on. Keep picking back up some of those healthy habits and rhythms that, if you are like me, you have already dropped. If you did not go through this class, I would encourage you to get a copy of Earley’s book. Try to find some friends to read along with you. Or find one or two new habits to introduce into your household.