Week Two- Making Your Home a Haven

Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger."

I am joining up with Courtney at Women Living Well for the month of October and the Making Your Home a Haven Fall Challenge.  Last week I went out and purchased a large candle to burn in my home each day.  My husband came home from work that first evening and he thought I was baking him an apple pie.  Sorry sweetie, no apple pie but I'm praying for you!

In addition to keeping the fires burning and praying for peace in the home, our challenge for this week is two-fold also: Play soft music everyday in your home. Choose worship, classical or another form of peaceful music that the family enjoys. Focus on using peaceful words and maintaining peaceful relationships. Remind your family to avoid seething anger, tattling, criticism or back talk. Role model gentleness this week.


Courtney give some suggestions as to music choices, so if you want to read what she has to say, check out her post for this week's challenge.  Our family loves music!!  My husband was a worship leader in his former life (ha ha...he is actually still doing that now but that is not his main job as an Army Chaplain) so our home has always been filled with music.  My oldest daughter is taking both piano and flute lessons, the next one wants to learn to play the guitar and loves to sing and the younger two will play any instrument you give them. It's funny, before I read about this week's challenge, my five year old asked me for my ipod so she could listen to the music.
The second part of this week's challege is going to be .....well a challenge for me.  I have been a bit stressed lately and unfortunately when I get stressed, the louder I get.  I know that is why this month is going to be a growing time for me personally.  Here is what Courtney has to say on her blog about the second part of the challenge...
 
1. When you feel tempted to raise your voice, use a child's name in a snarl, furrow your brow into a scowl or speak rapidly in anger...purposely lower your voice to just above a whisper. Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger." Focus on gentle words, facial expressions, and touches.


2. Purpose to not let someone else's anger make you angry. Many times as a wife and mom I find myself responding to other's emotions. Someone in the family is grumpy and two minutes later I'm grumpy too. Someone in the family is speaking harshly and two minutes later I'm speaking harshly too. Purpose to stay in control of your emotions and not let the other members of your family dictate your mood.

3. Yelling at a bud won't make it bloom. Your home will not blossom into a haven if you are not controlling your temper.

4. Continue to pray for peace in your home. Persevere in prayer for your family. James 5:16b says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Well, there is no better time than the present to get started.  One of my prayers for myself has always been...Lord help me to be slow to anger and slow to speak.  May your lives be changes by this challenge as I know that mine will too. Thank God that even when I am not faithful...He still is faithful!