It’s no secret that the world has felt chaotic for quite some time, but recent events seem to have magnified that chaos. Everywhere you turn, there’s division. Everything feels like “my way or the highway.” We’ve drifted far from the simple American dream lifestyle that once defined us, and now we live in a tornado of information and misinformation, good and evil, all hurled at us at lightning speed thanks to technology. It’s a lot to take in, and as a parent, it can feel overwhelming. Anxiety creeps in when the noise of the world threatens to drown out the quiet of home.
But here’s the thing—while I can’t calm the storm of the world, I can decide what enters my home. Today, I realized that truth as I looked around and saw chili simmering on the stove, bread baking in the oven, homeschool lessons spread across the table, and children laughing in the yard. All the riches in the world couldn’t beat this. These ordinary rhythms, these daily choices, are valuable and worth protecting.
We don’t have to accept the culture the world hands us. We don’t have to eat the chemicals and fillers. We don’t have to send our children into an education system that doesn’t align with our values. We don’t have to place glowing screens into tiny hands just because it’s the “in” or easier thing to do. Even if we didn’t grow up in homemaking families, even if it doesn’t come naturally, it is still possible to step into this kind of life. I’m learning it one recipe at a time, one loaf of bread at a time. And it’s beautiful—because in doing so, we are shaping the culture and atmosphere of our homes.
And for those of us who worry we aren’t “educated enough” to educate our children, let me say this: it is absolutely possible. A mother who desires to educate her family will spend countless hours studying, learning, and equipping herself—whether that’s late at night or in the early hours of the morning. Proverbs 31 reminds us, “She rises while it is yet night… her lamp does not go out.” A willing and intentional mother will burn that midnight oil if it means pouring into her children. It’s not easy, but neither is living in chaos while the storms of misinformation flood our homes, and our bellies are filled with manufactured, non-nutritious meals. Both paths are hard—but only one path leads to peace.
We don’t have to stay in the line that the world has drawn for us. We can go against the grain. Once you step out of that line—or out of the vortex, if you will—you begin to see life with clearer eyes. You see the storm for what it really is. And then, with intention, you guard your doors so that the storm stays out. Day by day, choice by choice, you build a home that is steady even when the world is not.
And maybe that’s the encouragement someone needs today: you don’t have to let the world dictate the atmosphere of your home. You have more power as a parent than you may realize. The storms can rage all they want—but they die at your door when you choose to live intentionally and root your rhythms in what is good, simple, and true.
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