By Justyn Lang, Contributing Writer

We have all heard the saying, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” Horrid grammar, but it’s so true. We ladies have the power to set the atmosphere in our homes.

When the wife/mama is calm, cheerful and content, everybody in the house can feel it. We’re like thermostats. Sure, the husband and kids can affect atmosphere, too, but not in the same way. They are more like windows. They can let in some cold air, but they aren’t running the heater and air conditioner.

I know some of you ladies are thinking, “Ha! When my hubby is cranky, it’s like somebody left the garage door open all night and there’s snow in the hallway!” I understand, but there is absolutely nothing we can do to make our husbands (or kiddos) quit being cranky. All we can control is where we set the thermostat.

So, how do we set the thermostat? Look back at those three things: calm, cheerful and content. Being those three things won’t make us perfect, but they will help us to keep our focus on how we want our homes to feel.

3 ways to Glorify God With the Atmosphere in Your Home

CALM

What is the opposite of calm? Anxious, frazzled, worried, afraid. Not pretty words, are they? I don’t want to be that kind of person, but I know that I can be described that way more often than I’d like. So, what do I do when I catch myself in a less than calm moment?

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

When I’m anxious, I take it God, give it to God and trust Him to get me through it. It’s simple, but not easy. It takes practice, but it’s worth it.

CHEERFUL

The opposite of cheerful is negative, sad, depressed. I’m not crazy about those descriptions, either. Cheerfulness is not about being silly, but about being joyful. What gives joy? Knowing and loving God, of course, but I think there is more to it. We can be Believers and still be focused on the negative things in life. I think the key is what we choose to think about.

“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” Philippians 4:8

We have to choose what we think about and these are the things we are told to choose. When I’m thinking along those lines, I’m much more cheerful!

CONTENT

A discontent person is covetous and unthankful. The fix for that one is… be thankful!

“…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

There is always something to be thankful for, right? Even if things are so horrible that the only thing we can think of is to thank God for walking through it with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. Doesn’t that make you want to thank Him? Most of the time, most of us have so much more to thank Him for and that expression of thanks makes our hearts content. We are told so many times in the Bible to “give thanks”. I think that we are told to do that for our own benefit. Thanking Him changes how we see the people and things around us.

Ladies, what would our homes look like if we were calm, cheerful and content? How differently would our husbands and children see us and how differently would they respond to us?