Peace amidst Chaos

Well, friends, I think it’s time to be a little real with you. I shared my New Years Resolutions in January, and I admit that it was much easier to imagine my grand goals while enjoying the peace and quiet of the hill country.

finding peace amidst the chaos

I haven’t said much about the upcoming addition to our family since I made the big announcement last November, but May is fast approaching… So why haven’t I had a blog full of nursery posts? Of baby showers and DIY crib skirts? Well, other than the fact that it is baby Pax #3 (which we all know makes a difference if we’re honest, right?), here are the other things we have going on (some of which you’re probably familiar with if you follow me on instagram):

  • laundry and mud room remodel (and trust me when I say that this is the pretty side of the room)laundry progress
  • finishing out an extra bedroom (got to plan for this expanding family!) attic progress
  • play room makeover (see the start of it with my organizing projectChalkboard labeled storage boxes make playroom clean up a breeze!
  • transition to boys sharing a room (I’ve only shared a sneak peek, but there’s more to come!) vintage airplane crib mobile sign
  • complete HVAC replacement (no fun pics of this unless you want to see the piles of dirt in my house…)
  • and {not yet started} making a new nursery…

Needless to say, we have a lot of projects going on. I also am battling my project obsession coupled with nesting (and this is my first time to be in my own home while pregnant… the temptations are so much greater!), so I have paint swatches all over the house and am salivating at the idea of painting the trim in our ENTIRE home.

Do you think I’ve lost it yet?

And all of that is simply home-related… As we all know, there are so many other people and things in our lives. Anyway, I share all this not for your pity (though, sadly, I’ll take it!) or your jealousy (because we all know how badly everyone wants a filthy home that’s completely turned upside down), but because I want to process this: how do I continue to pursue my goal of PEACE in our home amidst such chaos?  And here is what I’ve come up with so far:

  1. Peace is not the absence of chaos.
  2. Often, peace doesn’t look like a well-ordered, clean home; sometimes it looks like squealing, laughing children and a pregnant mommy having a tickle fight in the middle of the {very dirty} living room floor.
  3. Peace often comes not from circumstances, but from our reaction to our circumstances.
  4. Peace is a gift we cannot obtain alone.

And that, my friends, is what I want to encourage myself (and you!) with today. Sometimes we just need a break from all the perfectly styled, cropped, and edited pictures for a little taste of reality. I hope I haven’t scared you off, and I hope you have peace in your life and home today… even if it looks a little different than what you imagined.

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12 Comments

  1. I loved the points you made about peace. I have a sign I purchased when my daughter was young, it says: My home is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy. Sounds like your home. My mother lived in a home without doors for several years when we were kids because, as she put it, “there were always more important things we needed”. Peace is knowing the difference between want and need.

    1. That’s so well said, Ann! Thank you so much for the encouraging comment. I hope we can all better understand that difference!

  2. So many great things going on Rachel — but calm and tranquil it is not!!! Thankful we can plug into the only true source of peace!!! Thanks for the sneak peek into life at the Paxton’s house!!! XO, Aimee

    1. Amen, Aimee! Loved the verse you shared at the party this week, by the way. So so good. Hope you and your family is blessed this week!
      xoxo
      Rachel

  3. I agree………chaos continues, but God says, “My peace I give to you……” It doesn’t make sense……..at least not HUMAN sense. 🙂 I do know that I am challenged to consider if there is anything I can remove from my to do list………I know that God will give me the strength to do all that I need to do, so if my strength is lacking…it must be that I am doing some things that I should cut out………but those are hard to find. We have so many things that cannot be cut out……..but I am trying to be more careful these days, about taking on TONS of new projects. 🙂 Thank you for posting. God bless you in all your plans and busyness as you walk w/ Him. 🙂
    Gentle Joy

  4. I so needed to read that this week. I can’t tell you how badly I needed to read that! 🙂 Confession even right after vacuuming my floor is dirty.

    1. I can’t tell you how well I can relate, Kimberley! I vacuum and am followed by a trail of graham cracker crumbs, almost every time… So glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂

  5. Well said, Rachel…..I think we ALL needed that post. Nothing like a beautiful new life to put all things in perspective and to realize what is truly important – “what can wait” becomes crystal clear, right? Congratulations! You both look absolutely peaceful to me…….God bless

    Cathy

    1. Thank you so much, Cathy! It is amazing what a difference perspective can make. 🙂 God bless you, too!

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