Advent Peace for Homemakers
- Allison Weeks
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
A companion blog for The Art of Home's Monday Motivation #41, Season 26, Ep13
Peace
by Sarah Beaugh, Homemaker
“Yep, I was right.”
I looked up from my post in the kitchen, as my husband came through the back door from our backyard office. The look on his face said it all before his words even did.
“I’ve been let go.”
These words were not new to us as he had previously been let go during the 2008 housing crisis, and mortgage companies were looking for any way they could to shore up margins. But this felt different for many reasons and in many ways it was very different. Instead of having a toddler and being pregnant with our second child, we now had 3 teens, one of which was wrapping up her junior year of high school.
Of course, our minds raced with various scenarios, but ultimately, we had to rest in God’s sovereignty. There are no “what ifs” in his equation. He knew this was going to happen and he was fully able to uphold us as we walked through this trial.
The Advent theme of Peace comes at a time when headlines and deadlines are more intense than ever. We feel squeezed, overwhelmed, and burdened with the heaviness this world carries. We wonder to ourselves, “Will we ever get a break?” or even “How long Oh Lord?”
It’s kind of a “bad news, good news” type of situation. The bad news is that on this side of Heaven, we will always feel the edge of the curse—in our relationships, in our finances, and in our endeavors. The good news is that peace doesn’t mean the absence of pain, but rather the presence of God. That is what the Christmas season is all about--Jesus coming down to earth as Emmanuel, literally, “God with us.”
We have access to peace through the Holy Spirit. Not just the intangible kind of peace that resides in our hearts, but we can be at peace with our spouse, with our children, with other family members, and with our neighbors and friends. We can experience a harmony in our homes that only comes from a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It’s not necessarily the result of our circumstances, but rather in spite of our circumstances.
All our hopes and fears can be met head on by the love, strength, and greatness of our God. We can find ourselves in the middle of a raging storm or a in a quiet meadow, and the one thing that remains true about both of these places is that God is with us. Elisabeth Elliot was right when she said, “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”
True peace is freedom. Freedom from disturbance, disputes, or dissension. We don’t serve a God of chaos, but rather a God of order. When we invite him into our hearts, into our schedules, and into our homes, the inevitable result is a peace that overflows.
How do I know this to be true? Because I’m walking this out now in real time. It’s been 8 long months since my husband lost his job with nary a single job offer despite hours of applications and interviews. And yet, we have seen God’s provision time and time again, oftentimes through the unlikeliest of means. I was telling a friend that it’s not like winning the lottery, it’s like waking up to manna every day. We have just what we need. And we have Jesus. Our ultimate rest and joy come from him.
We have been in a pattern of waiting. Waiting for God to move. Waiting for the right company to want and need the skill set Alex has to offer. Waiting to see how he will provide when the severance runs out. This is all easier said than done. It's one thing to believe it in your heart, but it's altogether another thing to feel it in your everyday life. God continues to show us glimpses of himself, of his love for us, of his care for us, and I am so thankful.
As you find yourself waiting this Advent season… whether it’s waiting for a diagnosis, waiting for a change in circumstances, or waiting for an improvement in a relationship…we can all wait with a deep peace. That peace comes not from knowing what the future holds, but knowing the One who holds our future.
Let us together take hold of this gift from God. John 14:27 reminds us of Jesus’ words, “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.” We can confidently declare, “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."
So, as you pull out your decorations, bake the cookies, and sing hymns this advent season, let your heart not be troubled. Draw near to the Giver of Peace who makes all the sad things come untrue. He is waiting and wanting to set your heart free.
Read more of Sarah's writing and connect with her at sarahbeaugh.com .
Experiencing Peace in the Season
by Naomi Fata, Homemaker
I sat in silence, as the white lights of the Christmas tree shone through the early morning darkness. With days until Christmas, everything was done – the gifts were bought and wrapped, stocking stuffers were ready, and the cookies were baked. All that was left was the cleaning and food preparation for the company that would be coming. With the long to do list already done, I should have been relieved, but my soul felt anything but peaceful.
The nativity set glistened underneath the tree. Mary, such a young girl, carried this Babe with faith for 9 months. I wonder if she was afraid. It must have taken courage to walk among her peers as a pregnant virgin. Yet, the seed within her was Peace. Before she even held Him did the peace of His presence with her fill her mind and soul? This child that she was carrying is the one who said that He was bringing peace that the world could not understand. (John 14:27)
As I began to write this article, I asked a few friends to comment on their feelings surrounding the Christmas season. As a single homemaker, one friend shared how it is a season of loneliness because the holidays highlight family time, which is a staunch reminder of lost dreams. Another shared about the deep sadness of estranged extended family, and relationships that have never healed.
Beneath the sparkly tree, elegant wrapping paper, ugly Christmas sweaters, and platters of sweets, how many feel broken, anxious, grieving – anything but peace?
The advent season is supposed to be one of the most joyful, peaceful seasons of our Christian heritage. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, has been born! As an unconscious reaction to my own childhood lack, during the early years of motherhood and marriage, I rushed to model the Christmas that others celebrated. It had created a comparison and commercialism in my own soul that took my attention off of Jesus. With my heart and soul, I wanted to enter into the peace of the season; not be dragged through it.
Peace brings many connotations to mind. I think of an absence from anxiety, worry and fear. In the Greek, the peace that Jesus speaks of in John 14:27 is a sense of rest and contentment. This is the peace that I want to pursue during the holiday season, and throughout the year.
Peace isn’t just a supernatural feeling that God bestows on us – it is something we can practically cultivate in our homes and our inner lives. These are several ways I have practically begun to work out peace in my own home during the holiday season.
Processing my own mental baggage. We all have feelings and emotions that are tied to the holidays. It could be processing holidays gone wrong as a child, the memory of losing a loved one during the holiday season, singleness, financial worries, or family estrangement among so many other things. There are a healthy variety of ways to process:
take time to be honest about your feelings
spend quiet moments journaling, pour out your heart to God
reach out to a counselor or trusted friend
Recognize that Jesus came as the Prince of Peace who can heal our hearts with His Presence. He doesn’t discount your story, He knows Your pain, but He wants to bring you to the other side. This healing is a process, be patient with yourself.
Boundaries: I began to practically think about boundaries around what I would say ‘yes’ to. During the month of December there are so many events to choose from: volunteering to help decorate the church for Christmas, white elephant Christmas party for our homeschool co-op, cookie exchange for the women’s ministry, gingerbread decorating parties, Christmas concert at church, drive through light show, live nativity, Christmas Eve service, mom’s night out.
Additionally, there may be multiple family gatherings. Typically, we have two gatherings during Thanksgiving week. Then Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, a birthday between Christmas and New Year’s, hosting New Year’s Eve and sometimes a New Year’s Day gathering. Just listing it all makes my head spin.
Look at your December calendar and process how busy you want to be. What things fill you up? And what things drain you (and your household)?
Set Realistic Expectations: I had to realize that I couldn’t do it all, whether it was baking 10 different varieties of cookies or attending every event I was invited to. I simply couldn’t do it and maintain any level of peace. I began to limit my cookie baking to a few holiday specials that I make every year. I used to experiment with every new Christmas cookie recipe, but not anymore. For gatherings, I work to process what are simple easy to make meals. Additionally, rather than focusing on a spotless house, I settle for neat and tidy.
Choose Traditions: When managing our homes, we have the privilege of choosing traditions for our families. These might shift and change over time, but traditions can bring joy, rhythm, and expectation to the holiday season. Growing up my family light an advent wreath through the month of December. As I began having kids, we decided to make a Jesse Tree, which tells the story over Christ over the 25 days of December.
Other traditions include:
a small gathering of the kids’ friends for a gingerbread house party at our home.
making homemade chai tea mix to gift to neighbors, teachers, and friends.
a photo book for each child in the family as a Christmas gift.
Boundaries, expectations, and traditions are all deeply tied to becoming healthy both emotionally and mentally. As you become healthy you can begin to discern the values of your own family, which will give you a foundation for setting boundaries, expectations, and traditions.
Too often we can move through the holiday season on autopilot without truly taking the time to cultivate the life of peace and presence that we long for.
As you go out about your holiday season, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Find more of Naomi's writing and connect with her at naomifata.net .
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