Welcome back to Faith and Soul Care. This is Sherry Elaine, and I am back after taking my late spring and early summer leave. I'm returning just in time for something that is a very big happening in my household, and maybe in some of yours. This week is the week that the new Little House on the Prairie series begins on Netflix.
The timing of this reboot perfectly aligns with a topic I have been wanting to discuss related to soul care.
Before we begin, I want to let you know that a new cohort is starting in my Faith and Soul Care Foundations e-course on Monday, and it is free.
To sign up, simply go to sherryelaine.com and click on the link that says Free Foundations. There is also a direct link in the show notes and on the blog if you're reading this there.
If you're struggling with stress, worry, fatigue, disappointment, or burnout, or if you'd simply like support in reconnecting with God and even with yourself, this free e-course is for you. We have a new cohort beginning each Monday throughout the rest of the summer.
Longing for a Deeper Kind of Peace
Today I want to talk about something many of us are longing for right now - a sense of peace.
I'm not just talking about a day off or even a week-long vacation. I'm talking about the kind of deep, exhaling peace that truly settles the soul.
Strangely enough, since this is the week of the Little House on the Prairie reboot, I think many of us first caught a glimpse of that feeling while watching Little House on the Prairie or reading the books as children.
There was something about those stories that felt calming. Whether it was the crackling fire, the lantern light, the simple meals, evenings with fiddle music, or simply the slower pace of life, even the difficult moments seemed to be wrapped in a certain steadiness and steadfastness.
I think many of us today know we're missing something. We're grieving something we can't quite name.
Not because we actually want to churn our own butter or live primitively in a cabin on the prairie, but because our souls are exhausted from the speed, the demands, and the constant messages of modern life.
We are overstimulated and overcommitted. We're always scrolling. We're always reachable. We're always processing information, and our nervous systems never fully rest.
I believe our souls were created for a rhythm that is more like the prairie than the pace we are currently living.
That doesn't mean primitive, and it doesn't necessarily mean easier. It means slower, grounded, connected, and more aware of the goodness found in small things. It means becoming more aware of God in ordinary life.
[You may also listen to this post read aloud, along with others on the blog, on the Faith and Soul Care podcast with the podplayer below or wherever you find and listen to your podcasts:]
God Is Found in Ordinary Moments
When you watch Little House or read the books, one thing stands out quickly. People spent a great deal of time doing ordinary things - cooking, walking, reading, sewing, working together, going to market, and simply sitting quietly.
Yet somehow, within those ordinary moments, there was something to savor. There was something that felt meaningful.
Today, however, we rush through ordinary life trying to reach the important moments or trying to create meaningful experiences.
Scripture shows us that God usually reveals Himself in very ordinary moments.
Jesus Himself walked through life. He stopped for conversations. He noticed ordinary people. He ate meals with others. He rested. He withdrew from the crowds.
Modern culture tells us that faster is better, but the ways of God are much slower than we expect.
Some of us even feel guilty when we slow down. We feel as though we have to earn our rest.
But peace was never meant to be a reward we receive after we've burned ourselves out.
Peace is part of the way God designed the soul to live. It is what God wants for us, and it is also what our nervous systems deeply need.
Your Nervous System Needs Slower Rhythms
When we're constantly rushing, multitasking, taking in more information, and staying emotionally activated, our bodies begin living in a default state of survival mode.
That's why so many of us think or say:
"I can't relax."
"I feel tired all the time."
"My mind never shuts off."
"I don't even know how to rest anymore."
Our bodies keep score of chronic stress. A little stress gets stored. Then a little more. It accumulates in our muscles, our minds, and our nervous systems.
Slower rhythms, however, help signal safety to both our brain and body.
Even taking a few moments for simple practices can make a difference:
- Sitting outside.
- Lighting a candle while reading Scripture.
- Listening to music while cooking without rushing.
- Praying quietly while watching the sunset.
These simple things are readily available, but we often overlook them. Yet they help regulate our nervous systems by sending signals of safety.
Perhaps that is one reason the prairie stories continue to comfort us decades later.
They remind us that there is a more grounded way of living. Not a perfect way. Not an easy way. But a way that is connected - connected to family, connected to friends, grounded in nature, rooted in faith, and anchored in daily rhythms.
Many of us are starving for that kind of simplicity and connection today.
Peace Comes from God's Presence
We often believe we will finally experience peace once we've fixed everything and gotten life under control.
But biblically, peace comes from God's presence in the middle of our circumstances, whether those circumstances are easy or difficult.
The families on the prairie experienced tremendous hardships. They endured long winters, financial stress, illness, loss, fear, and disappointment.
Yet throughout the stories there remained resilience, strong faith, togetherness, and simplicity.
Today, we often carry emotional burdens in isolation. We hold our stress inside while continuing to perform and produce.
We were never designed to live constantly under pressure without rest.
Psalm 23 reminds us:
"He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."
Still waters.
Not rushing waters. Not chaotic waters.
Still waters.
Some of us simply need permission today to stop living as though we're constantly being chased by something, even if we're not quite sure what it is.
Spiritually speaking, many of us are hurrying through lives that God intended us to actually experience.
Pay Attention to the Small Things
I once heard someone say:
"Your life is deeply shaped by what you pay attention to."
Laura Ingalls Wilder paid attention to the small, good things.
A snowfall. A meal. A song. A family conversation. A warm home after a cold day.
Our modern world constantly trains us to look for bigger, faster, and louder stimulation.
But our souls find healing in quiet, ordinary places.
Sometimes healing begins when we simply slow down enough to notice the intentionality and small gifts embedded within each day.
When we notice the little gifts of God again.
Not only in church. Not only in moments of crisis.
But in everyday life. In the morning light. In birds singing outside. While washing dishes.
While folding laundry and quietly praying.
By discovering the sacredness within ordinary life.
I think this is one of the greatest lessons prairie life demonstrates to us:
A meaningful life is found in ordinary moments. Honestly, I think many of our weary souls need that reminder right now.
The Wisdom of the Prairie
One of the things we love most about the Little House books and television series is that joy appeared in very small things.
That is the wisdom of the prairie.
A piece of candy at Christmas. A warm potato tucked into a pocket on a snowy day.
Pa playing the fiddle in the evening. Laura running barefoot through the grass.
These stories remind us that peace and joy are found in simple presence, not in frantic production or endless accumulation.
This reflects something deeply biblical.
Jesus consistently noticed ordinary people and ordinary things - fig trees, seeds, birds, and flowers.
From these simple things He drew profound spiritual metaphors and meaning.
Perhaps the soul begins to heal when we stop overlooking the small gifts God places into everyday life.
Soul Care Practice of the Week
This week, I want each of us to create one "prairie moment" every day in honor of our own need for soul care and to celebrate the reboot of Little House on the Prairie.
Choose one simple practice each day for about ten minutes.
Sit outside and simply listen.
Sip your coffee slowly while reading one Psalm.
Light a candle in the evening while listening to worship music.
Watch the sunset while journaling.
Or simply watch the sunset and rest.
Maybe spend a little time sewing, cross-stitching, or hand embroidery if those activities bring you peace.
Or quietly sit without your phone while praying.
The goal is not productivity.
The goal is presence.
While you're doing it, ask yourself:
"What helps my soul feel safe, calm, and connected to God?"
Because peace is not simply something God will someday give us.
It is something He already makes available to us now.
In our modern world, we simply have to practice receiving it.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you so much for joining me again on the Faith and Soul Care blog and podcast.
Don't forget to visit sherryelaine.com and click on the Free Foundations link to sign up for the free three-week online e-learning cohort beginning Monday.
May God restore your soul through peaceful, small, ordinary moments.
Until next time, signing off for now,
Sherry Elaine
