I ran across this the other day while reading blogs and thought I'd share it with ya.
Being A Joyful Homemaker
Being a homemaker and being a joyful homemaker are two distinctly different beings. Let's look at two fictional Christian women, Grumbling Greta and Joyful Jenny. Let's look at Greta first.
Greta is happy to finally be able to quit the outside workforce and stay home. She wants to get into a routine before children come along. The first week is really great. She sleeps a little longer in the mornings and doesn't have to rush to get out the door. She feels free to do what she wants. She straightens the house and decides to start reading a book she has wanted to read for a long time. She is so involved in her book, that the time gets away from her and now she must rush to get dinner on the table for her husband, as he will be home soon. She gets frustrated with herself and realizes that she could have planned things better to avoid that rushed feeling that she so dislikes. Whew! She got it ready just in the nick of time.
As the next week begins and she is sleeping later than the week before, her husband makes a comment to her about her sleeping late and how it would be nice to have a hot breakfast before he went to work. He made mention that he works really hard to provide the grand home she is living in and trying to afford all the fancy things she wants to decorate their home. Greta didn't like his comment, but she got up and cooked him a hot breakfast the next morning. He thanked her and went to work. However, each morning that she got up to prepare his hot breakfast, she felt like he was using her and that all she was to him was a maid. She thought, "How dare he expect me to wait on him hand and foot!" "I work around here all day trying to keep this house clean and his clothes washed and ironed and cook a good hot dinner every night!" "Why can't he get up and fix himself a bowl of cereal like he always did when I worked outside the home?!" "He must think I don't do a thing around here all day and that all I'm here for is to wait on him!" "Maybe I should go back to my old job!"
Now, let's take a peek into Joyful Jenny's life.
Jenny also recently quit the outside workforce to stay home. However, Jenny looked at it as a duty to be done. She prayed and asked the Lord to help her be a good wife and homemaker. She made her schedule according to her husband's schedule. She thought, "Since I'm his helpmeet, I will arrange my schedule around his, so that I can be the best helper I can be." She set the alarm so she could get up and cook a hot breakfast for her husband and have some time to chat with him before he left for work. Then she went about her daily duties humming and singing. As she worked, she thought about all that God had given her and that she wanted to show God her thankfulness by taking good care of things. Her home was a tiny apartment that they rented because they were trying to save money for a down payment on a nice, little house. Though her home wasn't really hers, she took great care of it. She thought of it as belonging to God and he was letting them use it for the present time. She thought about how God answered her prayer by sending a wonderful husband her way, so she wants to take good care of him as well.
Jenny is looking at the things in this world as belonging to God and whatever he chooses to bless her with during her time on earth, is to be greatly cared for and she never ceased to thank God daily.
Both of these women are Christians, however, Jenny is on the right track and Greta has some growing to do. Greta must learn to be content and thankful with what she has and quit putting her focus on getting the latest home decor items and basically being selfish.
Joy, peace and contentment comes when we take our minds off ourselves, and put it on Jesus Christ. Ask Him to lead the way and follow Him. The things of this world are only temporary. Keep your focus on Him.
Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Let us continue searching God's Word for His direction in our lives. He'll lead us down the right path.
Greta is happy to finally be able to quit the outside workforce and stay home. She wants to get into a routine before children come along. The first week is really great. She sleeps a little longer in the mornings and doesn't have to rush to get out the door. She feels free to do what she wants. She straightens the house and decides to start reading a book she has wanted to read for a long time. She is so involved in her book, that the time gets away from her and now she must rush to get dinner on the table for her husband, as he will be home soon. She gets frustrated with herself and realizes that she could have planned things better to avoid that rushed feeling that she so dislikes. Whew! She got it ready just in the nick of time.
As the next week begins and she is sleeping later than the week before, her husband makes a comment to her about her sleeping late and how it would be nice to have a hot breakfast before he went to work. He made mention that he works really hard to provide the grand home she is living in and trying to afford all the fancy things she wants to decorate their home. Greta didn't like his comment, but she got up and cooked him a hot breakfast the next morning. He thanked her and went to work. However, each morning that she got up to prepare his hot breakfast, she felt like he was using her and that all she was to him was a maid. She thought, "How dare he expect me to wait on him hand and foot!" "I work around here all day trying to keep this house clean and his clothes washed and ironed and cook a good hot dinner every night!" "Why can't he get up and fix himself a bowl of cereal like he always did when I worked outside the home?!" "He must think I don't do a thing around here all day and that all I'm here for is to wait on him!" "Maybe I should go back to my old job!"
Now, let's take a peek into Joyful Jenny's life.
Jenny also recently quit the outside workforce to stay home. However, Jenny looked at it as a duty to be done. She prayed and asked the Lord to help her be a good wife and homemaker. She made her schedule according to her husband's schedule. She thought, "Since I'm his helpmeet, I will arrange my schedule around his, so that I can be the best helper I can be." She set the alarm so she could get up and cook a hot breakfast for her husband and have some time to chat with him before he left for work. Then she went about her daily duties humming and singing. As she worked, she thought about all that God had given her and that she wanted to show God her thankfulness by taking good care of things. Her home was a tiny apartment that they rented because they were trying to save money for a down payment on a nice, little house. Though her home wasn't really hers, she took great care of it. She thought of it as belonging to God and he was letting them use it for the present time. She thought about how God answered her prayer by sending a wonderful husband her way, so she wants to take good care of him as well.
Jenny is looking at the things in this world as belonging to God and whatever he chooses to bless her with during her time on earth, is to be greatly cared for and she never ceased to thank God daily.
Both of these women are Christians, however, Jenny is on the right track and Greta has some growing to do. Greta must learn to be content and thankful with what she has and quit putting her focus on getting the latest home decor items and basically being selfish.
Joy, peace and contentment comes when we take our minds off ourselves, and put it on Jesus Christ. Ask Him to lead the way and follow Him. The things of this world are only temporary. Keep your focus on Him.
Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Let us continue searching God's Word for His direction in our lives. He'll lead us down the right path.
1 comments:
Thanks Mindy! Now I am kinda under conviction to get up in the mornings and fix Frank breakfast....LOL!!!! But seriously some of the things mentioned is exactly what God has been dealing with my heart about here lately, thank you for the post!
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