Peaceful Homemaking

May 19, 2025

Lately, I’ve been pondering many thoughts about home and what true, biblical homemaking really is. So often I beat myself up and feel that my homemaking “falls short,” but then I stop and ponder: what is it really falling short from? How have I “failed?”

By God’s grace, my family has food to eat every day. By God’s grace, our home is reasonably clean. By God’s grace, my family has clothes to wear. By God’s grace, my children are learning and growing in our homeschool. By God’s grace, I am doing the daily work of a homemaker.

So why do I still feel insufficient at times?

If I compared my home with what I see on social media, my home is grossly lacking in many categories: neatness/tidiness, a strict level of cleanliness, a manicured garden, charming décor in every corner, fabulous cooking, and the list goes on. But do you know what word is a problem in the above sentence? It’s the word compared. I get myself into trouble when I compare, and God’s Word tells me that I’m on dangerous ground when I compare.

2 Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

I long to run my home with wisdom, but when I compare myself to others, I am not wise. I desperately need God’s wisdom to efficiently run my home, and so I do not want to do or think anything that would jeopardize receiving His gracious wisdom. God promises to give me wisdom—even practical, homemaking type wisdom—when I humbly seek Him and ask for it.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth [chide, criticize] not; and it shall be given him.

Today, I would like to share, from my heart to yours, a few practical pieces of hard-earned wisdom about peaceful homemaking. I am following these ideas, and I feel restful and content with my home and the progress therein. Oh, sure I still struggle with wrong thoughts at times and have to continually bring those before the Lord for forgiveness, but I am amazed at the peace God is giving me in my home. And I’m having so much fun making progress in my home at my own pace and with God as my Helper. This is peaceful homemaking, and I truly wish this homemaking for your home as well.

Sage from my garden.

Use social media sparingly.

When I use the term social media, I’m talking about any avenue for conveying thoughts and ideas (primarily through visual images) such as blogs, Pinterest, YouTube, X, Instagram, etc.

Social media can be a helpful tool, but like any other neutral tool it can used for good or evil. Oh, how social media has hurt many a heart and wounded the spirit. I believe that it is largely responsible for giving many women a warped view of home and even broader, a warped view of life. Some have been completely paralyzed by visually ingesting too much.

Where social media is involved, I share the strategy of the typical man in his approach to shopping. If I could describe such a strategy, it would read something along these lines:

With the skilled precision of a sniper honed in on his target, the man rushed into the store, seized the necessary item, purchased it, and within 5 minutes had escaped the boundaries of the shopping establishment, no longer within firing danger of any opponents.

I hope you had a chuckle from my silly description, but my main point of emphasis is this: when I utilize social media, I get in and get out very quickly. I research or find the necessary inspiration, and then quickly move away.

Typically, I have found something to be true about my social media intake: the longer I gaze at social media, the more I’m tempted to become discontent with what I have. To safeguard myself against discontentment, I follow this approach to social media use:

1.       Have a reason or purpose for browsing. I do not mindlessly browse with no goal in mind.

2.       Find what I need and then close the application.

3.       Go work on making my home a more beautiful place with what I just learned. Action is the key here to successful homemaking—getting up and doing.

Embrace everyday, imperfect living.

Modern culture seems to be mesmerized by the elaborate and the perfect, and many strive to live the perfect life. Yet such pursuit is an inexhaustible quest, and in the living of such a pursuit, many blessings will be ignored along the way of life.

In order to have peaceful homemaking, we need to normalize the everyday moments of life and ignore the insatiable and unattainable demands of living the “perfect life.” No one can ever attain a “perfect home,” and if we wait to enjoy our home lives until everything is perfect, we will never find joy.

Embrace the normal hum of home life. Look for the daily blessings that God lovingly tucks into every corner and cranny of life. See the “messes” with a fresh perspective: real human beings, made in the image of God, created those messes in the process of living and learning.

Do the daily duties.

In our self-saturated world, duties are often shirked. Yet on the home front, if we shirk our duties, there are no magic fairies awaiting our domestic commands. I have found that in order to have a happily humming home, I must daily do my duty to make it a functioning and pleasant place. Daily I clean the kitchen in the morning after breakfast. Daily we do at least 15 minutes worth of chores. Daily we pick up and put away. Daily we deal with laundry. On the list goes, but the point of emphasis is that we do the daily. We don’t wait until the weekend to “blitzkrieg” life, but little by little, we work through our responsibilities…every day.

Ultimately, peaceful homemaking comes from the presence of God.

This post is already getting unduly long. Perhaps I should write a book someday about homemaking… But I have saved the most important point for last. God is the Source of peace, and without Him, I cannot have true peace in my home. Through daily prayer and praise, I can abide in God’s presence, and He gives me the peace to faithfully run my home and be content with its status, no matter how imperfect. Philippians 4:6-7 has quieted my frazzled mind many a time as I pondered what to do next in my home.

---

Friends, where are you at in your homemaking? Do you feel angry or overwhelmed? Do you feel jealous of others? Start with God. Ask Him to help you right where you’re at, and He can and will give you wisdom and peace if you come to Him humbly. With all my heart, I wish you peaceful homemaking.

-Ashley

P.S. In case you are wondering, these photos are just everyday, ordinary pictures of my home. No staging for pristine photos took place here (well, okay I tucked 2 pillows into the couch corner). Yes, I put my best foot forward, but this is my house...in real time and real life.

Personal Disclosure

As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.

#homemaking #homemaker #home #house #cottage #vintage #antique #farmhouse #god #presence #peace #peaceful #peacefulhome #food #cook #cooking #book #blogpost #abide #perfectionism #perfect #sahm #motherhood #family #familylife #life #living #simple #daily #day #duty #duties #responsibility #responsibilities #clean #cleaning #kitchen #morning #breakfast #laundry #heart #heartfelt #encouragement #wisdom #socialmedia #women #fairies #domesticity #domestic #happiness #joy #truejoy #comparison #compare #unwise #jealous #jealousy #envy #envious #ashleyqurollo #progress