Unshakable Kids: Three Keys to Raising Spiritually Strong and Emotionally Healthy ChildrenSample

Making Your Home a Haven

Every home has an atmosphere. As soon as you step foot through the front door, you can feel it. You can usually tell if there’s tension, joy, peace, or frustration in the home. Our spirits want to linger longer in homes that feel safe, secure, and loving. The walls of these homes are alive with laughter, adding warmth to the atmosphere, and we don’t want to leave because it feels so good.

Unfortunately, pain and confusion fill the earth because we inhabit a fallen world. No matter how hard we try to escape the darkness, sometimes we can’t. That’s all the more reason for us to intentionally create places of refuge at home for our families. We need safe spaces where we can be our true selves and feel fully known, secure, and loved.

If we want our children to have sound minds, then we must understand our home atmosphere influences our emotional and spiritual health. We can’t expect our children to grow emotionally and spiritually if our homes are full of chaos. Hectic homes are incompatible with positive emotional and spiritual health. From a mental health perspective, a calming oasis can bring peace to our stressed-out souls. From a spiritual perspective, healthy homes bring refreshment and peace to our spirits.

Throughout the Bible, we see multiple examples of people needing refreshment. A notable one is found in Psalm 23. Here, David talks about God leading him beside still waters and restoring his soul. David even says that when he walks through the dark valleys of death, he isn’t afraid. Why? Because he finds comfort and safety in the arms of his heavenly Father. What if our children felt that same sense of peace when they walked out into the dark, scary places?

We can’t stop every evil thing from happening in our world, but we can control what’s happening inside our homes. We can teach our children to know their true identity and feel secure in who they are so they can walk confidently in all situations like David did. We can create loving home atmospheres where the Bible is taught and lived out daily. We can support the growth of healthy neural connections within our children, which leads to emotionally healthy lives.

Have you ever had one of those terrible, bad moments? I’m sure you have. We all have. On certain days it’s hard to love the people in our families. How can you reset the mood of your home after a bad moment? Take some time to brainstorm, so the next time your house needs a reset you’re ready.