Have you ever noticed that when you come back from a vacation or you’ve been away from your home for any length of time, there is often an “odor” or “musty” smell in your house? Humidity and mold spores can creep into our homes when there is a lack of circulation and your home has been dormant for several days or weeks. What do we usually do in those situations? Open the windows, adjust the room temperature, light candles, or spray the house with some air freshener. You get the picture. You have to take some actions to improve your home’s atmosphere.
The same is true with the relational atmosphere in our marriage or with our kids. It’s easy to allow busyness and distractions to creep into our lives, which can cause us to drift emotionally and relationally. Bad attitudes, nagging, yelling or even isolation can cause a “foul odor” in the relational and emotional atmosphere of our homes. Instead of ignoring the signs and symptoms and hoping they go away or get better on their own, you have to take action and do some things to shift the atmosphere in your home and family relationships. Below are seven things you can do to shift the atmosphere of your home for the good in just one week!
7-Day Family Challenge
Day 1: Write a handwritten note (not a text) to each family member to affirm your love for them.
You can be as creative as you want with where you put it. You can place it in their lunch box, bathroom mirror, the dashboard of their car or their pillow. Taking the time to write a note demonstrates you “took the time” and thought through it.
Day 2: Say nothing negative. (If you blow it, you have to say three positive things to make up for the one negative you said.)
Our words are powerful and memorable. Our words either tear down or build up. Nothing influences the atmosphere of a home or relationship like negativity, nagging and criticism. Be life-giving in what you say and how you say it.
Day 3: Participate in a random act of kindness as a family. For example, bake cookies for a neighbor you DON’T know. This could be a widow, single mom, or someone who just moved into your neighborhood or apartments. The purpose is to serve someone else as a family!
Day 4: Choose a word representing a value or virtue for each person to live out that day intentionally.
Discuss this core value over dinner. Everyone should have the “core value” on their minds as they start their day.
Day 5: Spend one hour in meaningful conversation or activity with all electronics turned off.
This can be taking a walk, playing a board game, or simply having a meal together and talking about the highs and lows of the day. You can also talk about the core “value” from the day before and what you did to live it out intentionally.
Day 6: Post one thing you love about each person in your family on social media.
Focus on an attribute or celebrate a win in their lives. This will show recognition of how proud you are and the deep love you have for them. This will be sure to get a lot of “likes.”
Day 7: Schedule something on your calendar to do one-on-one with each family member over the next week.
This can be a date night with your spouse, a trip to the mall, a bicycle ride, or an ice cream shop. The purpose is to enter into the world of your spouse and each of your children so that you can be intentional about spending quality time together.
Imagine what would happen to the relational and emotional atmosphere of your family dynamics if you set aside one week to apply these seven action steps and suggestions into your family. Before you can enjoy the fruit, you must first plant the seeds. When you cultivate the soil, sow good seeds, you will reap the fruit that comes from doing good things. Take the 7-Day Family Challenge and watch what happens!
