What does freedom from chaos look like?

For many of you, freedom from chaos looks like a clean house, folded laundry, quiet, well-behaved children, and a good book beside a warm fire. It might also look like plenty of money in the bank, all loans paid off, a good job, a conflict-free marriage, and a clean bill of health.

While it’s true that all these things may contribute to a happy life, are they mandatory in order to live in freedom from chaos?

Well, it depends on how you define chaos. Chaos is much more than the condition of our homes or the circumstances around us. Chaos roots itself deep into your heart, where it tells you that life is out of control and there’s nothing you can do about it. Chaos whispers into your ear: “You’ve already failed. Life is too much for you. You might as well give up.”

But God whispers a different story. God creates order out of disorder. He speaks light out of darkness. He brings healing from hurt. He sets you free from the bondage of fear. He gives strength when you are weak. He gives us peace in the midst of our anxiety. 

He redeems the chaos in our hearts.

Freedom from Chaos Doesn’t Mean Everything is Perfect

We often feel that all of the chaos in our world around us needs to be under control and managed in order for us to have peace in our hearts. But this is an unrealistic expectation. If the prerequisite for peace is a quiet, orderly house, then there truly is no hope for us boy moms. Am I right?

But I have learned that I can still have peace in my heart, even when things may seem to be spinning out of control in the circumstances around me. I do not have to have everything under control before I can rest in the peace that can only be found in Christ.

To me, the opposite of chaos is not order. The opposite of chaos is peace. When life feels chaotic, when my schedule feels hectic, when house is a mess… I don’t have to allow chaos to take root in my heart.

Freedom from chaos doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It doesn’t mean all the toys are always picked up or that the laundry is always put away. It doesn’t mean your kids obey immediately every time.

Now, I’m not saying those aren’t good things, or that we shouldn’t strive towards a more organized house or less busy schedule or more obedient children. What I’m saying is, you can still have PEACE in your heart, even as you work on making changes to your schedule or your parenting or your lifestyle. You don’t have to have everything under control, because you can find true peace in the One who controls all things.

There are other podcasts who will help you create a cleaning schedule, or a chore chart, or a homeschool agenda, or a meal plan for your family. This is not that podcast. But I WILL help you lean into Christ. I will encourage you when you’re feeling overwhelmed with life and the daunting task of raising boys to follow Jesus. I will provide resources for you to disciple your young men and get them excited about knowing God and his Word. I will direct your hearts back to the only One who can give you true and lasting peace. 

When we have the peace of Christ in our own hearts, we can respond to our kids in a way that doesn’t feel out of control. We can smile on days that feel like they might suck the life out of us. We can hug our kids tight, even when we sometimes feel like throwing them across the room. (No judgment here. I get it). 

Parenting Is a Marathon

Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t be surprised or frustrated when your kids don’t get it right away. God has graciously given each of us an entire lifetime in which he continues to conform us into the image of his son. Praise God for the small moments of success you see in your parenting. Affirm your kids for the small acts of kindness or obedience or cooperation you see in them. And just keep on doing the work God has called you to do. Keep on praying, keep on serving, keep on teaching and loving and training. 

And every now and then, they just might surprise you. 

The other day one of my boys came home from a youth group event with a pocketful of extra snacks that he had scavenged to share with his brothers. Another one of my boys secretly wrapped up all of his leftover halloween candy to give to his brothers for Christmas. (Granted it was quite stale, and all that was left were tootsie rolls and dum-dum lollipops…) but still, it warmed my heart to see these acts of generosity from my boys. 

Don’t get me wrong… these same children break out into daily fist fights over video games, or other ridiculous issues. But I don’t get discouraged nearly as often as I used to. I know that the Holy Spirit working is at work in their lives. I continue to pray that God will transform them more and more into the image of his Son.

So, without further ado, here are 9 ways to help you redeem the chaos in your homes this year:

9 Ways to Find Freedom from Chaos in Your Home

1). Invest quality time doing a hobby with your kids

• Carving / whittling
• Favorite board games
• Video games (wouldn’t your son love it if you played super smash bros with him?) 
• Learning a new sport together
• Coaching his sports team… yes, you momma!  I coached my son’s U8 soccer team last fall and it was so fun! It was a great time to connect with him. 

2). Read to your boys

• My 11 and 13 year olds STILL love it when I read to them. 

• We don’t’ just read Christian books. I am a firm believer in exposing my kids to beliefs that are different from their own, at appropriate ages of course, and discussing what truths can be pulled out of the story analyze the story through a biblical worldview. 

• Books we’ve read recently / or that I would recommend: (affiliate links)
  • The Wingfeather Saga (Elementary / pre-teen)
  • Recruit of Talionis (for teens)
  • The Prince Warriors (pre-teen)
  • Collar Cases Series (Elementary)
  • Power Pup Series (Elementary)
  • Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key (Pre-teen / teen)
  • Harry Potter (upper elementary / pre-teen / teen)
  • City of Ember (upper elementary / pre-teen)

3). Have a plan for discipleship  

• View my list of recommended devotional resources for family discipleship

The following are resources that I wrote or created to help you with family discipleship

• Rise of the Enemy (my new devotional book for pre-teen boys)
• Bored with the Bible (a free ebook to help you engage your kids in family Bible time).
• The Five Year Bible Plan (a free chronological Bible reading plan and journal for teens)

4). Have a plan for personal time with God

• The Bible Recap
• Read through the psalms
• Copy scripture
• Memorize scripture
• Meditate on Scripture
• Start a prayer journal or a thankfulness journal
• Create a playlist of worship songs

5). Be intentional about connecting with other moms – especially ones who get you, who understand what it’s like to be the mom of boys

• Moms in Prayer
• Women’s Bible study at your church
• Ask some friends to read through a book with you!
• If you’re not sure… if you feel disconnected… pray. Ask God to bring other women into your life who can connect with you and encourage you. But remember, you might have to take the initiative and make the first move. 

6). Read good books and listen to good podcasts that challenge you to grow closer to God

• Some of the books I want to read this year, or have read recently: (affiliate links)
  • The Worry Free Parent by Sissy Goff
  • Parenting Gen Z by Jason Jimenez
  • Becoming a Screen Savvy Family (Focus on the Family, March 2024)
  • Warriors of the Word by Aaron and Emily House
  • Safe All Along by Katie Davis Majors

7). Have a creative outlet or hobby that you enjoy that helps you relax and unwind. 

• Crochet / knitting
• Coloring
• Lettering
• Baking
• Sewing
• Painting
• Diamond art
• Latchhook

8). Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Prayer
• Counseling
• Medication
• Childcare

9). Pray for your kids

• Use my free ebook – Confident Prayers. 

So my prayer for you, mommas, as you begin this new year of 2024, is that you will look to Christ. He himself is our peace. There is no peace apart from Jesus. No matter how chaotic and out of control your spins around you, you can find freedom from chaos, and peace in Christ. 

How Am I Doing?

If you read my blog or listen to my podcast on a regular basis, would you take a few minutes to fill out a survey for me? I would love your feedback on the content of my blog / podcast. What topics do you love? What topics are you tired of? What topics do you want more of? I want to make sure I’m addressing topics that are helpful to YOU!

Looking for clean christian fiction for your kids?

Are you looking for an exciting book series that will engage your kids in reading while upholding conservative Christian values?

Are you tired of secular entertainment companies poisoning stories with their liberal sexual agenda?

Would you like to see heroes that actually have heroic qualities worth emulating?

If you answered yes, we’d like to introduce you to Power Pup by Amanda Trumpower, a Christian superhero series filled with action, humor, and a biblical worldview.

Set in the same zany anthropomorphic world as the Collar Cases mystery series, rookie superhero Power Pup joins fan-favorite detectives Alex Digger and Mittens Meow. Together, the team takes on new supervillains and learns lessons about courage.

Unleash your inner superhero by supporting the new Power Pup #3 on Kickstarter today!

The campaign Kickstarter campaign launched on January 14, 2024, and will run for two weeks.

Find us at kickstarter.com/projects/powerpup/powerpup or search “Power Pup” on Kickstarter.com.

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