(PREVIOUS: The Crippling Effect of Clutter & Disorder – READ THIS FIRST!)
A Haven of Peace
We all need a place, a haven, where we can fully experience peace ~ a place for relaxation, a place to escape the pressures and busy-ness of life, and a place for prayer and meditation.
Especially if we find ourselves often feeling stressed, depressed, or generally out-of-sorts, we need a place to which we can retreat and gain perspective. A distressed emotional state can affect our health and our relationships.
We deserve better. We were created for better.
We all were born at this particular time
in this particular place for a particular purpose.
Peace and joy in our lives allow us to pursue this purpose.
So how do we find this peace? this joy?
It starts in the mind, in the soul, and in the spirit. It starts by looking inside ourselves for the mental image of what we want our life to look like and our home* to be like. It’s our vision. Do you have a clear vision for yourself?
The link “Creating a Place of Peace: Questions to Redefine Your Life” asks a series of questions to ponder and contemplate regarding your life and your priorities. Really think about each of these questions and mull them over in your mind. If you draw strength and direction from God, pray for His wisdom and guidance while you answer these questions.***
Write down your thoughts from these questions in an Inspiration Journal** (leave the first few pages blank). You may also start thinking about some goals and dreams you have for your life, maybe ones you have been putting off because of your burdens – write these down, too.
Once you have worked through all the questions and journaled your thoughts, your vision for your home and your life will come into focus. On one of the first pages in your journal, write down this vision in bold print. Just like an organization has a mission statement to keep it focused, your vision printed boldly at the front of your journal will be the guiding force behind clearing out the clutter of home, mind, and life.
Once we have that mental image of our haven
and clarity of our passions and dreams,
we can begin deliberately creating that life and that space for ourselves.
How do we create this haven, this place of peace?
We start small and build, slowly but consistently, clearing out the clutter from our home while redefining and recreating our spaces. We keep in mind our vision for our home and our life. We remember the crippling effects that the clutter and disorder have had on our lives. We stay focused on the life and home we desire.
To start, we create an inspiration corner in our home. It will be here that we begin each day and to here we retreat in order to relax, refocus, and reenergize. It will be a place that is comfortable and cozy and makes us feel good, a place where only peace is allowed to exist. From this cozy corner, we work to transform our entire home into a haven.
Are you ready to get started?
Started redefining and recreating your space?
Started creating a place (and life!) of peace and joy?
Let’s go!!
(NEXT: Creating a Place of Peace: the Process ~~ Part 1: Inspiration Corner)
* “Home” can be many places – it can be a house, an apartment, a condo, a vacation home, a boat, or even your car, van, or RV. Some people have chosen to pursue an RV or van life traveling the country and working remotely – these too can become havens.
** There are many beautiful journals available such as this one.
*** A personal note: For me personally, faith is central in my life, and I think the true source of peace and joy comes from an unshakable certainty that God loves each of us beyond comprehension, wants us to know and love Him, and has created us for a purpose that is true and good. This perspective makes “stuff” so much less important and mostly expendable.