I've been thinking a lot about peace...

As the garden weeds grow and as the tomatoes hang heavy on the branches.

As my children and I bury our fingers in the clay soil and pull fresh potatoes.

As we let the chicken free-range while trying to keep them from consuming the ripening tomatoes.

As the world outside our little property surges with heaviness and war, with sickness and strife.

I think about peace. I crave it like water on a hot, blistering day.

As I navigate the homeschool curriculum for next year and shop for groceries, as I guide children through sibling conflict, and honestly, as I navigate the conflict and tension in my own heart, I hear the calling, the yearning, for peace.

We were not created for this world.

We were not created for war, fighting, and death. No wonder our souls gasp for justice and a peaceful community.

We were made for a heavenly country.

All is broken and warped here.

And that's ok.

There is peace in the storm. There is a foundation that holds steady through uncertain times. Jesus tells us:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27)

Mothers, we were made for such a time in history as this. We are called to navigate turbulent waters with a steadiness rooted in something much more eternal than our unsteady world. We can...

Feel the tension without being afraid.

Teach these little ones to look to truth for answers.

Guide them through relational challenges.

Show them how to grow food, and be grateful.

I hear the calling, the yearning, for peace.
Work up a sweat and finish a job when it's hot outside.

Be a safe place for deep moments of questioning while we learn to listen without preaching.

Be present.

We can show them that the peace that passes understanding is real. It folds laundry, picks squash bugs, and helps a sibling when no one is looking. There IS peace here. And it's extra sweet in the face of chaos.

Speak peace.

Live it out in your home.

He has overcome this world. Let's have Him bring peace to ours!