Proverbs 14:1 “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the
foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”
This verse resonates deeply within me. I always wonder if I’m tearing my house down,
or if I’m building it up. In today’s day
and age, being a homemaker, is not something that is always highly regarded. It is however such a vital, and important
role. I sometimes wonder if homemakers
understand the influence and power they have within their home. We are the ones that set the tone of the house;
we instigate deep conversations, make warm comforting food, and a pleasant
atmosphere. We work so hard with our
hands, sewing, baking, and scrubbing all to build up our homes. We care for our husbands and children; we do
everything we can to be their helpers and assistants, making their lives warm
and full. It’s so easy to get lost in
our tasks. Easy to get lost amongst
laundry, cooking, cleaning, organizing, holidays and birthdays. Too often we forget our priorities, forget
that our homes are important, and should not be forgotten. It’s not just brick and mortar these homes we
live in, they are havens, memories, laughter and love. I do not want to be a woman who is so foolish
I pull my home apart. I don’t want to be
so consumed with other things that I forget one of my biggest and greatest
ministries, my home. Sometimes our
distractions come as something that is, by itself a good thing. For example, church activities. If you are so consumed with volunteering, and
participating in church activities that your home, and family are suffering,
then you’re priorities aren’t right. I’m
not saying you should not volunteer, or participate, but I am saying if you are
helping with church activities, but you are so stressed out, frazzled, and
exhausted that you have a short fuse with family, and your housework is suffering
then you need to reprioritize. This
could also come in the form of having employment outside of the home. By no means do I think it’s wrong for a woman
to work outside the home, but I do believe that in some circumstances, and in
some seasons of life (especially involving young children) women are best
suited to be at home to care for them.
It can be so hard to say no, but we need to remember that it is ok to
say no. It’s ok to be at home, making
and building our homes. It’s ok to not
be actively involved in all the different activities that church, school, and
work provide. I often times feel guilty
about being a homemaker. This was not
our original idea of what our life would look like after marriage. I feel a bit weird that most other women
work, but here I am, a 24 year old stay at home wife. I talked to my husband about this, and he
understood. He works with a lot of other
guys and he said he didn’t know of any them who had wives that stayed at home. He said when explaining our situation to
others he said that if I worked we’d have greater expense with car payments,
gas and insurance. He also said that he tells
the guys that when he is away, I do all the cleaning, have food ready when he
gets home, and (this was my favorite part!) he said that when he is at work, he
doesn’t have to worry about anything at home.
His words really resonated with me, and I really realized that what I do
matter. I get tired of sweeping,
laundry, and dishes, but I am building my home by doing so. When I decorate for holidays, when I bake
silly themed cookies or cakes, I am making memories. My challenge to you is to look at your
lives. Be honest, are you a foolish woman,
tearing her home down? Are you being
snarky with your husband and children? Are
you stressed, burdened, and exhausted because you are over committing? If so, take responsibility, pray, talk with
others if you need to and fix it. Let’s
all commit to being wise women who build our homes, let’s put those bricks back
where they belong.
4 comments:
So true! Women definitely set the tone for the household! :)
Thank you for writing this! Lately I know I've been "tearing" my house down...sigh :(
Thank you! This was very encouraging! I struggle with realizing I am building up a home.
Well said! I too am a stay at home wife, and I really enjoy it.
I am coming out of a season of "doing too much" outside the home, and your post was such an encouragement to me!
God Bless you and your home! :)
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