The Need for Tranquility

You might think that the title of this post seems a bit odd for someone who is the mother of an eleven-month-old, but hear me out. Recently I started reading You're Singing My Song by Glenn and Cindy Colley, a Bible-based book dealing with marriage. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I've really been enlightened by some of the things I've read up to this point. Some things I've read have really made me think about how perhaps I've allowed myself to grow into some bad practices - some that I really ought to grow out of.

I'm not even sure how to properly characterize this particular practice I want to eliminate, but I know what word accurately describes the desired end result: tranquility. One of the first chapters in the book deals with the idea that a wife should have a meek (gentle) and quiet spirit from this passage in 1 Peter 3:1-4:

"Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chase conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

My life can (and does) become so overwhelming and stressful at times, but much of that is because I allow it to become that way. I want my life to be still, peaceful - tranquil and free from unnecessary stress. I want to help make our home a place of comfort, safety, coziness, and security - a refuge from the world. However, if my spirit isn't gentle and quiet, our home cannot properly exhibit those qualities.

For me personally, one of the greatest barriers to me exhibiting a quiet spirit is time management (or perhaps discipline might be another way to put it). I must learn to properly allot my time. I have caused much stress on myself, as well as my husband, because I don't appropriately allot my time. I don't mean that I need to schedule every minute of my day. Rather, I need to realize what things I need to spend my time doing and what things I don't need to spend my time doing. For those things that I deem necessary to spend time doing, I need to figure out how much time I really should be spending on them. Some things I ought to spend more time doing, and some things I ought to spend less time doing.

I hope that I can transform into a person that doesn't bring unnecessary stress into the home. I hope that as a wife and mother I can provide my family with comfort and security - tranquility - by properly fulfilling my role as the keeper of the home.