Home
Home is not always peace. Partner, children, relatives, or the silence in a flat. You may feel what is unfair, and choose not to collect bitterness. A soft word instead of a slammed door. If home is unsafe: get help. God’s love is bigger than the mood at the kitchen table.
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
What it means
Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How you can live it
At home: one kind word, one soft answer, one act of forgiveness if you can.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
What it means
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Be thankful.
How you can live it
When the house is tense: ask peace to rule in you first. One thankful sentence helps.
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
What it means
Salvation is a gift, not a wage. You do not come to God by performing. No one stands before him pointing at their CV.
How you can live it
When you feel you must earn his smile: it is a gift. Breathe out. You are already loved.
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”
What it means
He says it twice because it does not always come by itself. It is not “be glad because everything is fun” — it is having someone to lean on when it is not.
How you can live it
Find one thing in the Lord to hold on to today, even if the rest is grey.
the LORD, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
What it means
The Lord your God is in your midst. He will rejoice over you with gladness.
How you can live it
When you feel like a burden: you are someone to delight in. Receive that.
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
What it means
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything. In everything — not for everything. You do not have to be glad about the hard thing. You can still give thanks in the middle of it.
How you can live it
On a hard day: one thank-you (someone who listened, a meal, a verse) and one prayer. Not fake cheer.
A prayer
God, you see my home. Give me peace in my heart, soft words when I can, and help when it is too hard. Amen.