In a world full of the complex demands of today, our homes are meant to be more than a place to eat, sleep, and store our belongings. Your home is your sanctuary. It should be a place of rest—a sanctuary space where we feel God’s peace, experience joy, and reconnect with loved ones. By infusing our homes with both practical design and a spiritual focus, we can create a sense of peace that serves as a refuge from the outside world.
Let’s explore a multitude of ways to make your areas of the home reflect a sanctuary space filled with God’s presence while also enhancing your mental health and spiritual well-being.

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A Biblical Foundation for a Peaceful Home
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4 ESV
This passage reminds us that the appearance of our homes should be more than visually appealing; they should reflect the beauty and wisdom of God’s design.
When we dedicate the physical space of our homes to serving Him, we create an environment where family members can find rest from a rather frazzled world. It’s not a prison or a place to hide, but a safe place where we experience joy and are renewed for the challenges of everyday life.
Practical Ways to Cultivate a Sanctuary in Our Homes
In today’s world, the outside world often feels like it is working against the values we hold dear, especially as it pertains to our families. The constant bombardment of negative influences through smartphones, media, and societal pressures can leave us feeling like our homes are the only place where we can truly find rest.
The Bible reminds us of the importance of a safe place in Matthew 7:24-25:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:24-25 ESV
When the world feels as though it is tearing down families instead of building them up, our homes must stand firm on the foundation of Christ. They should be a refuge, a sanctuary where we model God’s design for love, order, and peace.
In the following sections, we’ll explore three exceptionally practical ways to cultivate a sanctuary in our living spaces—ways that go beyond mere aesthetics and focus on creating an environment that nourishes the heart, mind, and spirit.
1. The Importance of a Functional House
A home office for productivity, powder rooms for convenience, and outdoor spaces for relaxation are all part of making your home serve the needs of your family. We all need our living space to function well for our families. A functional home is at the base level of creating a sanctuary space, but only a functional home that doesn’t provide peace is simply a living space.
Small changes can go a long way. Rearrange the furniture in your living room to foster connection, add throw pillows to a comfortable chair for warmth, or create a cozy reading nook with soft blankets and your favorite book. These simple additions can transform your home into a place of peace.
2. Embracing Natural Elements and Lighting
I have the joy of having a home that brings in a lot of the natural world through lighting. It proves frustrating during the summer when we are trying to keep our home cool. Although I know we don’t all have the option of natural light, we can bring some natural elements into our homes.
Natural elements help boost levels of serotonin and reduce the emotional burden that often comes with a busy home. Even small spaces can benefit from the addition of a few plants or lovely scents like essential oils to create a calming environment.
3. Redesigning with Intention
If you’re not sure where to begin, I always enjoy starting with coffee table books with beautiful pictures to inspire my own spaces. Here are a few of my favorites right now. You don’t need to turn your house into a luxury hotel or embrace minimalist interiors to make it welcoming. Start by identifying what your family truly needs and what works for you in providing them with welcoming and cozy spaces.
Adding Pockets of Peace in Your Home
Every home needs pockets of peace, small areas or moments in time where calm and restoration are intentional. We’ve actually done an entire video and blog post on pockets of peace, so feel free to reference that as well.
A home that is cluttered and chaotic can weigh heavily on the heart, but an organized and inviting space has a wonderful effect, offering a retreat from the demands of the day. Simple adjustments, like the glow of candles on a side table or the strategic change of lighting to create warmth, can transform your home into a sanctuary where you feel God’s peace.
I’m a big fan of Milkhouse Candles, which are very clean burning candles, and this adorable soft lighting from Hand and Hearth that is rechargeable and chordless! Perfect little touches to add to a home area for little pockets of peace.
It might be hard to find pockets of peace with young children, but they are possible. I’ve spoken before about how much I love hang-drying my laundry during the summer. It’s an enormous pocket of peace where the beautiful outdoors calms my spirit and my children can be as loud as they need to be without it feeling suffocating at times.
Ultimately, these pockets of peace allow us to intentionally invite God into our homes. Whether it’s a cozy corner for prayer and reflection, walls adorned with Scripture to remind us of His truth, or the comfortable chair where we pause to read His Word, these spaces become a reflection of His love.
The home, then, becomes a place of peace not just for those who live there but also for those who are welcomed through its doors.
The Kitchen is your Sanctuary
The kitchen also deserves reflection as a sanctuary space. It is not merely a room of the home where meals are made; it is where creativity flourishes and where the lovely scents of fresh bread, simmering soups, or baked treats fill the air.
The kitchen can embody the heart of hospitality, where nourishment for the body and soul begins. Welcoming smells and thoughtful care in this space create an environment where joy is shared and relationships are deepened.
Take a moment and think about how you can transform your kitchen this week into a sanctuary of love for your family. It doesn’t have to be from scratch items either. We’re all busy after all. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for our family in the kitchen is throw some chicken nuggets on a tray and bake them up. I don’t do this often, but there’s balance, even in the kitchen.
Here are a few of our favorite from-scratch recipes. You can visit healinghomerecipes.co for all our homemade recipes.
Creating a Beautiful Home
When we are creating a sanctuary for our family, we naturally bend toward finding our own style and decor. For some, this might mean a more minimalistic approach. Some of us might prefer the always-trending ‘beige’ colors. Others may prefer to keep their home functional with little to no decor trends. No doubt, I’m leaving some options out. My point is that creating a beautiful home will look different for everyone.
I love doing DIY decor and home projects. They seem to be waning right now as I am in the trenches of childbearing, but I hope that someday I get my DIY spunk back. It used to be my goal to do a DIY home project every week, which has long been replaced with a sporadic schedule due to time and money.
Another reason why it’s tapered off is that in the time we’ve been here, I’ve been able to do something called ‘neutralize the ugly.’ If you are looking for a starting place to update your home, it’s this. Neutralize the ugly. We can’t create beauty when we’re looking at an ugly slate. I’ve coined this phrase from other places, it’s definitely not mine. Sometimes it’s as simple as replacing curtains that you dislike. Other times it might simply require a can of paint.
Some of the neutralizing that I’ve done includes removing anything that was removing any ‘hunter green’ from our home (which was very popular when it was built), painting trim, adding cheap backsplash, and doing an exceptional lot of painting. By no means, is my home ‘finished’ or perfect, but I certainly feel like the ugly has been neutralized!
Just Do the DIY Project
This brings me to a small sub-point that I’d like to make. Just do it. Just do the DIY project and stop worrying about all the ‘what ifs’. I used to be better at this as well. It took me NO time to concoct a DIY project and implement it. I’m a bit slower on the drawn now, and maybe that’s okay.
However, we can’t get stuck in the land of ‘someday’. Someday I’ll paint my cabinets. Someday I’ll finish our mudroom. Someday I’ll redo my bathroom. Someday I’ll paint the vanity.
Start small, and just do it. My kitchen remodel started with me replacing the cabinet handles. That was it. It was a tiny, small step, that made a big impact. Start small, but just do it.
Balancing Functionality and Faith
A home filled with both spiritual purpose and intentional design goes a long way in providing peace and making your home your sanctuary. But let’s not forget that the decorating of the house is secondary to the love we show within it.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27
As we care for the interior of our homes, we must also focus on creating a home filled with the Spirit. This balance brings feelings of happiness that no throw pillows or bright colors alone can provide.
Practical Tips for Homemakers
- Start Small: Even in a small space, lighting a few candles or diffusing essential oils can create a sense of peace.
- Focus on Entryways: Your front door is the gateway to your sanctuary. Keep it welcoming with seasonal wreaths or a clean, uncluttered area.
- Use Soft Textures: Incorporate soft blankets, throw pillows, and plush rugs to make your living room and bedrooms feel inviting.
- Add Natural Touches: Whether it’s a bouquet of fresh flowers or a wooden accent, these touches echo God’s creation in the natural world.
- Set Aside Time for God: Designate time and space in your everyday life for worship, prayer, and reflection.
Your Home is Your Sanctuary
Your home isn’t just where you live—it’s your sanctuary, a place of peace amid the complex demands of today. By focusing on creating a living space that honors God and nurtures your family, you can transform your house into the epitome of perfection for spiritual growth and relaxation.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). With God as the foundation, your home can be a relaxing sanctuary and a beacon of His love in the world.
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