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Habits of the Household is the second book by lawyer, speaker, and author, Justin Whitmel Earley. I was fortunate to win a copy of the book via a giveaway the author hosted on Instagram. Having read only good things about this book, I was curious to read it. I approached Habits of the Household with a bit of apprehension wondering if it would make me feel like a failure as a parent. While I’m a firm believer that our habits form us, I was nervous that it might contain more things for me to do that would contribute to the already weighty responsibility of parenting.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book and greatly encouraged. As I approached the last few chapters, I told my husband that I was going to be sad when it was over. Rather than giving parents burdens that are hard to bear, this book reminds them that we don’t form habits to be made right with God but being made right with God through Jesus ought to inform how we cultivate habits and implement them within our respective households.
While Earley does give readers some examples of habits his family implements, he places no pressure on parents to go and do exactly likewise. The examples serve as inspiration to give parents ideas for what their household habits could entail. Many of the chapters conclude with liturgies parents can use verbatim if they’d like or as a framework for forming their own. Books of this nature can make readers feel as if they ought to learn from the author because they have it all figured out but Justin doesn’t shy away from sharing the realities of parenting young children. He’s in this season with his readers and understands the joy and the chaos that consistently marks it.
Habits of the Household gently challenged me and greatly encouraged me by reminding me of the gospel in each chapter. Knowing that I don’t have to earn my right standing before God by taking all the right parenting steps frees me to want to parent as an act of worship because of how God has parented me. The ideas in Habits of the Household are helpful and I appreciate that they can be adapted in a variety of ways.
As I was reading the book, my husband worked many late nights which meant our household habits were implemented differently. I realized that even on those late nights of solo parenting, we can still create rhythms that make Jesus central even if our time spent on those rhythms doesn’t look the way it typically would. If you are a parent of young children hoping to cultivate habits that point your children to Jesus, I highly recommend Habits of the Household. I’ve been incredibly inspired by this book and I eagerly anticipate reading more by Earley.
