Five Ways to Add Peace to Your Life & A Bathroom Reno

Toothpaste and toilets.

I’m wondering…do you have this struggle?

You know the struggle that strikes every time you walk past your children’s bathroom?

Do you see the same work of art?

The streaks of blue toothpaste smeared across the sink, clumped and dried to perfection until you stop to admire it? I mean…does ANY of the toothpaste actually make it into their mouths?

And just as you reach for a handful of tissues to wipe it clean, you turn to notice the toilet bowl proudly displaying the color of pale yellow with a few squares of Charmin gently floating on top like a decoration?

The struggle in the Krout house is real friends.

These early morning master pieces got me good one morning about two years ago when I had had enough of the toothpaste and toilet art work.

I beckoned my three sweet budding bathroom artists to join me in their hot pink bathroom for a magic trick.

“I want to show you a magic trick.” I said.

Their little ears perked up, eager to see what their Mom had up her sleeves…maybe some new hair chalk…some soft new bath towels hidden behind the shower curtain as a surprise?

I told them to lean close…look carefully at the yellow water in the toilet bowl.

“See it?” I asked.

“Now…watch closely.”

“Do you see this shiny silver magic wand on the side of the white seat? Watch what happens if you take one finger and press down…now watch carefully!!”

I dramatically pressed the silver lever down towards the floor slowly….

“Presto!”

“Did you see it!?”

“MAGIC!”

The yellow water and toilet paper just disappeared!”

Needless, to say they were not only disappointed that “fun Mom” did not show up that morning, they were not impressed with my magician skills.

But – they got the point. Kind of….

Oh friend…how I wish we could press a magic button and make all of this disappear. Flush away the the stagnant waters of our Covid colored climate and receive a refresh. I know you do too.

Just like there is not a magic trick to take care of smeared toothpaste in the sink and and yellow water filled toilets…there is not a magic trick to flush away our frustrations to be filled back up with fresh peace.

But…there are a few things we CAN do to give us our best shot at a fresh washing of peace.

Five Practices for More Peace

1.) Fresh eyes for first minutes.

Give God your fresh eyes for the first few minutes of your day…every day.

Starting your day with a few minutes of “Quiet Time” with the One who puts breath in our lungs and gives us the ability and stamina to get out of bed every morning is an act of worship.

It is during this time that I tuck my phone under a pillow, close my eyes and pray. I often will ask God to “order my day according to His will.”

Because, when left to my own devices, I tend to get my day and priorities all mixed up and wind up feeling upside down and unsettled all day because I haven’t checked in with the One who created the day.

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

Psalm 37:23 NLT

When I give God my fresh eyes for the first few minutes of my day…I feel more peaceful for the rest of the day because I have thanked Him for the gift of today and surrendered it back to Him so that He can lead me in it.

2. Edit your Intake

Close the lid a little on consumption.

Scrolling, shopping, sipping.

We are taking IN A LOT these days.

But is all this INTAKE bringing us more peace?

Funny thing is the old saying holds up. “It is better to give than to receive.”

We are receiving so much. Is it good for us?

Information, images. Deliveries. No wonder peace feels far away sometimes. Every room in our heart is filled with “stuff.” Physical stuff, mental stuff…heavy stuff.

Is a screen the last thing you look at before you close your eyes and the first thing you look at when they open?

Everything in moderation. Editing does NOT mean that it all has to go.

Editing means to take stock and take out what doesn’t work or fit. Editing can be reducing or removing whatever is in the way of your peace. When we downsize or remove the intake of the fake peace promisers…we MAKE SPACE for what is needed and fits just right….

REAL Peace fits just right when we purposefully make room for it.

3. Rest your soul.

I read once that:

“Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.”

Can I get an Amen!?

I am not usually a big “napper.” Sure, napping was necessary when I had three babies within 5 years of each other…now THAT was a season in which napping was part of the daily schedule for sanity-sake.

Now? This season?

Napping is finding its way back into the schedule on an “as needed” basis.

Feelings are up down and all around…and sometimes I just feel tired.

We are all FEELING a lot right now and “FEELINGS”…can be Exhausting.

Take a nap friend. You are not lazy if you take a nap.

You do not need a “reason” to be tired.

Everyone is tired whether they will admit it or not.

We are in a marathon…a marathon that has more hills and curves than we first anticipated…we are gearing up as best as we can…but even the most fit and the most well-trained still need to stop and rest.

When you are tired…do not give up. Rest and take a nap.

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Psalm 4:8 NIV

4. Don’t get caught up in the numbers.

This one is easy for me because I do not like math.

I have never been a “numbers girl.” And – turns out that is a gift really.

Whether it’s the numbers on the latest CDC reports, the numbers on your paycheck or in your bank accounts, the number on your scale, the number of your followers, the number of likes on your recent post, the numbers on your sales report, numbers, numbers…numbers.

I actually don’t remember numbers well at all. Also, a bonus it turns out.

I have some sort of brain block when it comes to these tricky guys…but here is what I do know about them.

Numbers are just numbers.

They will will fluctuate. Numbers will go up, down and all around. 

Numbers do NOT determine your worth or your value or what you bring to the table. Numbers do not produce peace once you reach the one you are chasing down.

Numbers are often partnered with their pal…”pressure” and “pressure” likes to keep you focused on the numbers to keep promising you false peace.

This hamster wheel tends to be exhausting and a a game of smoke and mirrors that lead you chasing a number in the opposite direction of REAL peace.

Don’t let the numbers of anything dictate your worth.

Instead?

Find freedom in acceptance of their fluctuation.

Because numbers and the feelings we tie to them can be empty promises.

“Numbers” often don’t pay up the way you think they should.

So?

Let’s not get too caught up in the numbers and find peace in the release.

5. “Be A Duck.”

We have a saying in our home:

“Be A Duck.”

Essentially…it means to embrace short term memory loss.

Meaning, when you feel offended or someone has hurt your feelings…”be a duck.” Like water on a ducks back..let it roll right off and forget about it.

Sure, does it sting when a harsh word is spoken?

Absolutely.

Is it easier sometimes than others to “be a duck?”

Certainly.

But the bottom line is, if we go around holding on to sharp edged feelings from small word episodes of the past?

The one they are cutting the most, is the one who is holding on to them from the inside.

And?

We cut the cord of peace along the way.

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

Psalm 86:15

“Being a duck,” in situations allows space for grace to grow and peace to be planted.

But MORE importantly it also allows you to remind yourself of whose opinions REALLY matter in your life and who has earned the right to speak energy into your heart.

I had the blessing a few years ago, of hearing Brené Brown speak at an empowerment conference. I still have my notebook in which I jotted down notes on her brilliant idea of a “Square Squad.”

Essentially, according to Brené you should be able to write down a very short list of names of people who have actually earned the right to speak opinions into your life on 1″ X 1″ square of paper.

I chose to use toilet paper since we are on the topic of toothpaste and toilets and a bathroom reno…but you get the idea.

The paper is small because the list is short.

Your “square squad” people are the people who push you to be better, who know you and who you trust to take vulnerable feelings to.

So that, if you are faced with a criticism that leaves you feeling cut and you are finding it really hard “to be a duck,” because let’s face it…big offenses are harder to shake off. Then, you go to the names on your “square squad” with the offense so that you can welcome their honest conversation. Your square squad cares enough about you to be honest and will not just tell you what you want to hear. And…they will point out to you if you have stepped out of your integrity and help you find your authentic way home.

Ultimately, the goal is knowing whose opinions and words you let settle into your heart.

Having a thoughtful conversation with God about who those people are will open the door to more peace and less proving.

Friend, there are a lot of places we can go in search of peace right now.

I don’t think we are going to find it buried inside of our phones, no matter how long we hold and stare at them. I don’t think we will find it laced in the words or opinions of others, or jumping out of a number we have been chasing or bursting out of bed and bouncing from one thing to the next without taking time to rest. I do think we can trust the very one who spoke the world we live into existence and trust that He will light our personal pathway to peace if we ask Him.

We will all take different paths…but each of them can be paved in peace.

Forward is a pace.

“Then God said,

“Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 

Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night.

He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:14-18 NLT

Father,

Thank you for offering me the opportunity to come to you at any time, any day, with anything. Thank you that nothing is too small to talk to you about or too big for you to handle.

Help me to flush out my feelings with you first before I go to anyone else. Please help me to not look to other things or other people to find peace but remind me that YOU alone are the Prince of Peace and in you alone I can trust and depend on to walk this uncertain road.

Thank you for seeing me, knowing me and understanding me.

Amen.