Did you know that your home is holy ground? When my children were very little and I was in the thick of it, just trying to survive the day, I remember feeling so weary and worn out. It was hard to find meaning in the mundane moments of life. Changing diapers was a never-ending chore, and my sink was always full of dirty dishes. It was hard to see beyond the mess surrounding me. Slowly but surely, the Lord began to reveal to me a beautiful truth about my home. He began to open my eyes to the important work I was doing each day – the hard and holy work of cultivating Kingdom culture within my four walls. One afternoon while I was sitting on the couch, resting before the dinner rush, the Lord impressed these words upon my heart, “Your home is holy ground.” 

And your home is holy ground, too, friend. What does that mean? It means that the work you do each day directly affects the hearts in your care and under your roof. You are entrusted with a sacred responsibility from your Heavenly Father- to mother and father the children in your care. And our Heavenly Father wants to help us with this. He wants to partner with us as we cultivate a Kingdom culture on the holy ground called home.

So, let’s take a look at four mindsets that create a habitat of peace and joy within our homes. Remember, this is not a check-list or a challenge; these are simply four attributes that will cultivate Kingdom culture in your heart and home. 

1. Prayerful- “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

But first, pray! I encourage you to be on the lookout for extra opportunities to pray with your children. As parents, our prayer life doesn’t have to be limited to a set amount of uninterrupted alone time. While it’s wonderful to set aside time each day to steal away and pray, our children need to see us weave prayer into the fabric of our everyday lives. Have your children stop and pray for each other, especially if one is having a rough day or falls down and scrapes their knee on a scooter ride! Let your kids hear you pray throughout the day whether it’s at the kitchen sink, driving to a soccer game, or when you’re feeling low. Pray for big things, little things, and everything in-between. Let your children hear you pray and praise aloud. Your example will instill the importance of daily prayer. 

Here are some other ways to weave prayer into your day: 

• Memorize the Lord’s prayer together as a family and pray it together
• Pray over each family member while you fold or iron their clothes.
• Start a prayer request box as a family. Write down the needs in your home and community. Pray together once a week over the box and have your children take turns reading the request and praying for each one.
• Are you feeling tired or frustrated? Stop and pray for yourself. Your children need to see you praying for your needs so they will follow your example when they are in need. Let your needs bring you near to God. 
• Did something good happen? Stop and pray a prayer of thanksgiving! 

Remember, prayer is a way of life. Pray all kinds of prayers, and pray continually. Look for ways to weave prayer into your everyday life.

2. Patient- “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

I’ve noticed when I’m more prayerful throughout the day, I am also more patient. Why? Well, prayer slows me down. Prayer creates pathways of peace in my mind. Prayer helps me to put my trust in God. Yes, prayer provides an opportunity to reorient our minds to heaven and fix our eyes on things above. You see, prayer grows patience in us. As parents we all want to be more patient with our children. Sometimes it feels like a daily battle to remain calm in the face of crazy schedules and to remain patient when we are so very tired. Can I let you in on a little secret? We cannot be more patient on our own. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and we simply cannot muster up more patience in our own strength – praise the Lord for that! So, how do we grow in patience? First, we ask for God’s help moment by moment and then we listen for His voice as He speaks through His word and by His spirit. We can also practice simple techniques to help calm our hearts and minds, especially when our patience is running low. Here are some ways to cultivate patience in your heart:

• Take a time out, step outside, close your eyes and take several deep breaths
• Pray the Lord’s prayer slowly aloud and meditate on the words
• Ask the Holy Spirit to give you grace and strength in moments you feel impatient 
• Apologize when you lose your patience and hit the reset button on your day
• With younger children, talk about the importance of being patient with one another, and practice what that looks like by role playing different scenarios where patience is needed
• Realize that we are all a work in progress and as long as we keep our hearts open to Lord, He will help us to grow in patience for ourselves and others 

3. Playful- “The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.” Psalm 118:24 

As our patience grows, our capacity for playfulness grows. It’s harder to lean into the fun, silliness, and playfulness our families need when we’re low on patience. But just as the Lord will help us grow patience, He will help us grow a spirit of playfulness. Confession time- I do not like board games. But the good news is, being playful isn’t limited to family game night. What’s fun for you? If you’re anything like me, I enjoy playing in nature. There’s nothing that evokes a sense of play in my soul like a swim in the gulf. Identify how you feel most playful and invite your children into those activities with you. But more importantly, seek to cultivate a spirit of play within the family. Here are some ideas to cultivate a spirit of play in your home:

• Create a special family handshake
• Take turns saying your best jokes after dinner or in the car
• Lean into silliness and play in everyday moments like clean-up time and family walks
• Create a special family chant/song to sing whenever the mood strikes
• Plan unstructured free time to foster imagination and play
• Keep a box of discarded odds and ends and once a month have everyone create something silly out of the box – best engineer wins!

Just a few minutes of play sprinkled throughout the day can make a big impact on the health and well-being of your family. Ask God to help you accept the playful invitations from your children each day. When you respond to the invitation to play, peace and joy fill your home.

4. Present- “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17

When I’m playful, I’m present. In today’s digital age, we must be intentional about being present in the moment with our people. One simple way to encourage being present in the moment is to make more eye contact. As parents, we can get so distracted with life’s everyday demands. We become great multitaskers, but it makes eye contact difficult. One thing that’s helped me is to look into my children’s eyes when they are speaking to me. So often I find myself talking at them instead of talking with them. Now, there are times when it won’t be possible, but when possible, make eye contact. Here are some simple ways to be more present with your family:

• Get in nature and notice the small details God has created for us to enjoy 
• Take turns going on a walk around the block with each child
• Assign each child a simple chore to help you with- weeding the garden, watering the plants, folding the laundry, etc. Use this time for conversation or to simply “be” together.
• Call a quick family huddle to regroup and reconnect when needed, high five or hug it out after the huddle
• Create a praise jar and write down good things that happened throughout the week then take turns reading them aloud around a meal

With the Lord’s help, we can cultivate a culture of prayer, patience, play, and presence- a Kingdom culture. This is not a challenge to do more or be better, this is an invitation to walk in joy and freedom by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we stop striving in our own strength and rely on God’s power, we are able to walk in freedom and joy. 

Remember, your home is holy ground. The work you do each day is so important, regardless of how insignificant it feels. Do not grow weary in doing good for your family and when you’re tired, go to the Heavenly Father in prayer. Yes, God the Father will father you as you parent your children. Rely on His grace as you guard your home and heart. He will sustain your steps and strengthen you as you lead with love and seek Him first. He will sustain you and empower you to cultivate a Kingdom culture in your home. He will help you by His grace, for your good, and all for His glory because He is a good, good Father! 

Written by: Audra Powers. Audra is a writer, speaker, and homeschool mom. She lives in Largo, FL with her husband, Sam, three young children. Audra loves encouraging moms to mother with a sound mind and enjoy the Spirit-led life. You can read more of her writing on Instagram (TM) @helloharborhouse or Facebook (TM) @audrapowerswriter.