I get to make dinner for my family every night.
That slight shift in language—“get to” instead of “have to” has quietly transformed not only my evenings but my heart.
Some nights, it feels sacred. I stand in the kitchen with worship music filling the room, or listen to a favorite podcast while chopping vegetables. There’s peace in those moments, a rhythm. Other nights, I cook in silence, stirring slowly, praying over each child by name, and tuning my ears to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. I’ve learned that He often speaks the loudest in silence.
And when dinner is served on those nights, I’m not just offering food—I’m offering presence. I’m aware of my people, their needs, their silence, and their sighs. I’m there.
When It All Feels Heavy
But if I’m honest, there are other nights too.
Nights, I walk into the kitchen already tired. Already bitter. The sticky floor, the untouched laundry, the homework still sitting on the counter—all shouting at me. I slam the cupboard a little too hard. I move fast, frustrated. The clang of pots becomes my unspoken protest. I mumble under my breath about how no one helps. I sigh as my husband walks through the door, still on the phone, and I’ve usually already snapped at someone when dinner hits the table.
Same kitchen. Similar food. Diffently same family.
But an entirely different version of me.
The only real difference? The dialogue in my head.
The Power of Our Thoughts
It’s amazing how what we think shapes how we feel. What we believe about our everyday tasks forms our attitude toward them. And our thoughts? They’re not passive. They are powerful.
That realization began with two small words I started whispering as I walked into the kitchen:
Sacred space.
Creating Sacred Space in Everyday Moments
That’s what the kitchen became when I invited God into it—not just when everything felt peaceful, but especially when it didn’t, especially when I felt weary and undone. I started treating the act of feeding my family as an offering—a quiet, holy moment of surrender.
And when I asked God to meet me—not in my perfection but in my fatigue and messiness-He did and does-every single time.
When Discouragement Creeps In
The other day, after a long, exhausting field trip with my daughter, I could feel the pressure building before I even walked in the door. The weight of the world pressing from all sides—deadlines, dishes, bills, brokenness, and grief—all came crashing in.
And then that old thought crept in:
“Ugh, I have to make dinner.”
And that’s how it starts. That one thought opens the door to discouragement. It’s sneaky like that. Before we know it, we’re drained of purpose, joy stolen, hope choked out.
But in that moment, I remembered:
I can choose different words.
Different thoughts.
And when I do, I make room for a different outcome.
Here’s the deeper truth I’m learning: your thoughts have power.
The ones you nurture? They either give life or they drain it.
When our thoughts align with the truth of God’s Word, they act as a shield, protecting our spirit, our soul, and even our bodies. But negative thoughts—those inner complaints, those quiet rehearsals of resentment—will cost us deeply.
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Even science agrees.
Dr. Caroline Leaf, a brilliant voice in neuroscience and faith, teaches that toxic thoughts like worry, fear, anger, and unforgiveness don’t just stay in our minds—they affect our brains physically, chemically, and tangibly. Those thoughts release harmful chemicals that create chaos, disrupt sleep, cloud our judgment, and even make us physically sick.
No wonder we feel weary when our thoughts go unchecked.
Capturing the Chaos
So now, before my thoughts take control, I pause and whisper:
Sacred space.
Not because I always feel it.
But because I need to remember it.
God meets us at the stove.
In the carpool line.
At the laundry pile.
In the mess, the rush, and even the eye rolls.
When we invite Him in—when we take our thoughts captive and breathe deep and slow—we discover that the ordinary can become sacred, that the small can hold the eternal, and that He is right here, in the middle of it all.
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How many of us feel like we're not living the life we were meant to have?We're getting lost beneath the responsibility of marriage, motherhood, and career, wondering if He still has a plan for us.
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