Finding Peace In Your Home When There’s War In The World – UNITE Linky

She still has her Under Armour knee pads on from volleyball camp, while she asked, “Can I make a ramp?”

She peddles her older sisters five-speed around the property.

She grew out of her smaller one, and loves sitting higher, peddling faster, rising to challenges while fully embracing life.

All the while, a war rages. Battles are drawn between countries, alliances, civilization, and ISIS…

While I dig in the flowerbed, bent low on my new foam, gardening pad…

Because sometimes, pretending weeds aren’t there won’t make them go away.

My husband and I are very politically aware. He lived in England, grew up in Peru, and was raised with an elite education that taught global awareness…

He learned, we are not the center of civilization. More than most learn here in America.

And yet, when you have younger children at home, laundry, social gatherings…

When your called to live the gospel, how do you do that effectively when there are wars just outside your door?

Do you bring the hate and conflict inside? Do you hash over facts, or let media dictate your lives? Do you shut the world out and pretend like everything’s alright…

Thinking ignorance is bliss, when…

Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I force the tip of my shovel deep into the moist ground. I want the root. I pull and tug at it as if knowing…

Weeds never belong in any home or family.

I grab it with bare hands, because well, I just never like wearing gloves…

There is something about not letting a barrier between you and the earth. Touching the dirt.

Feeling for yourself the soil you are consciously aware, the Heavenly Father made you from.

I throw this weed in the pile with all the other perpetrators, satisfactorily.

My daughter keeps riding around our property, after not finding wood to propel the bike she is riding to higher capacities.

Does she know her laughter is like fresh oil on the back of a terrorist attack in France? Does she realize she’s dark, while I’m light skinned, and the racial lines being drawn inside our country?

No, in fact, she doesn’t care. She simply laughs and plays, knowing she’s free to be a kid. Do we, as adults truly embrace that kind of freedom?

Yes, there is something about letting kids be kids in a world where war ravages, fears poisoning bystanders, until the spectators become victims…

And they don’t even know it…

Yet, I have found freedom is more about the heart of the beholder, than any outward condition or physical state of being.

I open scripture later, and read about war and division, and judgement as a consequence for God’s disappointment with His people.

But, the commentary reads…

“Hope. God always leaves His people with Hope.”

And I reel for that among political wars. Wars of color, and nations, religions, and wars between families…

Because division is caught in hearts, like my weeds worming their way deep, underground, where nobody sees…

And it’s our choice to not see them grow, or to stop them from taking hold of our hearts and our homes…

Creating a sanctuary of sorts that keeps the soil of our souls, soft, and pliable, pure.

Weeds free.

My daughter asks questions. Still, although we are intentional about raising children who are aware and educated, knowledgeable, and articulate….

Children only need to know as much as is age appropriate and as each child individually can emotionally handle.

Her “look at me mom”, spinning the wheels on her sister’s bicycle tells me despite the evil that lurks, we have empowered her to be…

Just a carefree kid.

Still, fear is a poison. And I find, it’s not just what we share with our children, but the spirit in which we reveal things to them that often matters most.

I remember when my son was in elementary school, and nine-eleven happened. The commentator on the t.v. station said…

“This event will forever change our children’s perception of a safe-America as they know it. forever.”

And it did.

France, Florida, Dallas, and the Middle East. I can’t even count the terrorism He has seen and heard about since that incident happened…

And yet…

• We must fill our children’s and our own hearts with the hope scripture talks about.
• We must “tend our own souls”, not wait for pastors, or other people to be what only Jesus can be to us.
• We must not let down our souls by filling them with the poison of other people’s choices and negativity.
• We must fill ourselves with faith through prayer and worship, reading His word, and meditating on His goodness.
• We must give our families time to play, rejoice, laugh at the centipede, or build bike ramps that challenge the boldness inside them.
• We must hold close those we love, say what’s needs to be said, and never take them for granted.
• We must stop spending time on social media with strangers that only deplete us and don’t fill us internally and spiritually.
• We must reach to the needing, and teach our children to do the same. For in giving and serving, there is healing of our own hearts, that happens in monumental ways.
• We must get in the dirt, remember we were formed from the dust, take the shovel of our conviction and root out anything in our families that is not from Him.
• We must cling together, open up, talk about our hurts, and worries, and fears…instead of closing up, retreating, withdrawing, shutting down, or handling stress through unhealthy mechanisms.
• We must find things worth giving praise about. The grass. A sister’s bike. The chance that we have loved ones, or that we just have this breathe…

For regardless of war, we have the choice to use this day for good and for His benefit.

We count it an honor, that even death can’t hold God down. That He is stronger, more powerful, and whether we an see it at the moment or not…

Light shines in the darkness. And…

Darkness will never overcome His light. ~ John 1:5

The Amplified says, the light is unreceptive to the darkness.

And we are children of light. War can’t thwart us. Hate can’t condemn us. Anger can’t hinder us.

Because we know where our peace comes from.

I don’t know who your loved ones are today. I don’t know what the composition of your home looks like…

But what I do know is that hope will never die, peace can reign in your life, even among war…

We can wrap the Under Armour of His grace around us, and ride carefree into even the darkest night…

If we fix our eyes…and look to the One Who Is Light.

It is time for UNITE, all-inclusive, no-rules blog hop!

Everyone welcome! Please enjoy! Oh and would you might sharing after you link! Thanks everyone!