The news hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind out of me. I was afraid to breathe and afraid to blink, knowing the tears would start streaming down my face. My precious newborn baby girl had something wrong with her. We had been rushed to the hospital when she was only 10 days old.
“You can’t hold her. It makes her too hot. You have to stop nursing her. It makes her too tired. We need to get her fever down or she won’t survive the night.” Brinley had been diagnosed with RSV and pneumonia and her fever was dangerously high.
In the days to come, she began to get better, but during our hospital stay she was diagnosed with a heart disease and the cardiologist let us know she would need open heart surgery.
I didn’t feel any single tiny ounce of peace. But I am a Jesus follower. Shouldn’t I have this unending reserve of peace to pull out at any time?
Nope, but God does.
God is our peace
My friend Lisa texted me Psalm 21. It says, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1–2 ESV).
God is our peace. He is our help.
I sang this Bible verse over and over again in the hospital, especially in the middle of the night when I felt the most afraid and hopeless. God used these words to speak to the depth of my soul and to bring me some of his peace.
Brinley is a healthy and fierce eight year old, now and we have three other kids as well. I would be lying if I told you that our home is peaceful all the time.
I’ve had entire boxes of cereal poured out on my kitchen floor. Once, my youngest two kids decided to pour copious amounts of confetti all over the carpet.
My toddler has accidentally called 911 on more than one occasion causing police officers to pay us a visit; red food coloring has been squirted all over our white cabinets during a science experiment; and I’ve never ever been caught up on my laundry.
Cover fear with prayer
What are the things that cause you to lack peace in your heart and in your home? Is it mounds of laundry that you can’t seem to ever find the bottom of the hamper? Is it that you aren’t getting any free time for yourself—ever?
Maybe it’s trying to be the “perfect mama” and/or the “perfect wife” and you find yourself realizing, you never seem to hit your (unrealistic) mark?
The thing I am asking God to help me to realize is that he understands this. He wants me to let go of control and perfection in my role, so I can operate in God’s peace that is freely offered and given.
The truth is, like Philippians 4:5-7 promises, God is close to us. He is with us in our worries. He wants us to pray about everything. He wants to use our anxiety, fear, worries, and overwhelm to bring us closer to him.
Did you know the word “prayer” has been one of the most googled words in the past couple of years? Deep down, we all know that the answer to our fears is prayer.
3 ways to bring peace through prayer
1. Cry out to God through prayer
Cry out to Jesus all day long. Let your kids hear you asking him for help, patience, and wisdom. You are modeling for them what it is to need Jesus.
Thank him when you see something beautiful, taste something delicious, or a prayer is answered. Ask him to bring comfort when one of you is hurting.
When you are in the habit of crying out to Jesus, your kids notice. They even know that grownups need Jesus! They know that you ask him to help you parent them.
My kids even know there are many things I am working on with God. They hear me say I am sorry over and over again. They watch my husband and I apologize to one another in front of them because we want them to see how conflict can be resolved through apologies and forgiveness.
And you know what the best part is? I am watching them run to Jesus too. I am hearing them say things like, “Holy Spirit, give me peace” or “Jesus, please help. I am so mad right now!”
As we learn to ask him for peace and receive his peace, our kids will learn to do the same.
2. Practice listening
What do you feel afraid of right now? What do you feel guilty about? What is bringing you a lack of peace? What are you feeling sad or angry about? He wants to fight for you and handle it for you.
Think about what that thing is and just spend some time telling him about it. You might choose to get out your journal and just make a giant list of the things that are making you feel anxious.
Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about what’s on the list. Maybe there are some things that you can cross off and some other things that you can ask for help with.
The more we practice being quiet with God, the more we hear him.
It’s the same with kids. Kids share what’s on their hearts when you slow down and take the time to notice and look them in their eyes and ask them how they’re feeling. Most kids don’t voluntarily share their worries or fears or the things that make them sad on their own. They need to be asked.
Get good at asking questions and listening. Ask your kids if they know how much you love them. Speak truth over them. Share what you love most about them and some special things you’ve noticed about them.
Ask God to show you how much he loves you and to show your kids how much he loves them. The greatest remedy for anxiety is to focus on his love that drives out all fear as 1 John 4:18 promises.
3. Practice praise
In our family, we frequently turn on the tunes and praise God with our bodies. This is a fun, bonding, silly way to connect with one another while we connect with God. Dancing, singing, shouting out something we’re really thankful for, clapping for God, it’s all prayer!
It reminds me to let go of the urgency, to slow down, to savor my kids, and to praise God for who he is.
We also practice praising God by taking turns shouting out what we want to thank God for. We call this the Grateful Game. This game really works to change our hearts and our perspectives and to flood our home with peace.
Peace with a house of prayer
The best gift you can give yourself this Mother’s Day is a more peaceful home. We can’t will ourselves to become more peaceful moms or follow a set of steps to get rid of stress, but we sure can start going to God with every thought and asking him to fill us with his unexplainable peace!
So I might have Cheerios all over the living room, and I definitely have to say sorry a lot—but, by the grace of God, we have peace in our home! Peace comes when we make our home a house of prayer.
Consider a few extra resources:
- 5 tips for avoiding Mother’s Day disappointment
- Momming: Is great too much to ask?
- Wishing you an Unhallmark Mother’s Day
