What I’ve learned about biblical homemaking has changed my entire perspective, as it pertains to taking care of a home, and raising a family.
Biblical homemaking is based on including God in the affairs and everyday decisions you choose for your home.
From the biggest to the smallest details.
It involves asking God for wisdom for small things like helping you plan your daily schedule.
To help you with bigger decisions for things like making the best parenting choices for your child.
Biblical homemaking has less to do with wanting things to just look perfect, but more about wanting to meet your family’s needs all the while pleasing God.
I know it can be tricky sometimes trying to find the perfect balance between spending quality time with your spouse, always having engaging activities for the children and of course we can’t forget about self-care, right?
Just from this small list, we can quickly see that managing a home is not easy.
But, with God’s help, we can learn how to work willingly with eager hands, (according to Proverbs, 31:13) to creatively express our love and care for our families.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT BIBLICAL HOMEMAKING
There are definitely a ton of places anyone can find information about homemaking skills.
From decorating magazines, laundry routine videos, and meal planning templates, the available resources are pretty endless.
But for those who need help learning about the characteristics and traits of specifically biblical homemaking help, the bible is probably the best place to start.
Whether we work outside the home, work at home, or full time stay home parents the bible is clear that it is our responsibility to manage our home.
If we choose to do it all ourselves or hire outside help we are still ultimately responsible for the betterment of our home and family.
THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN
I think it’s not a coincidence that the Proverbs 31 woman assigned daily task to her maids (see Proverbs 31:15)
She was faithful and dedicated to her role as a homemaker, but she was not afraid to hire help when she needed either.
Getting help when we need it allows us to accomplish more.
If you need help with cleaning, homeschooling, landscaping, or even grocery pickup, do what’s necessary to help you manage your home well.
In Proverbs 31:27 we can find where it says she watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Ouch!
Now I doubt very seriously if this means she never had downtime.
But I strongly believe that she was very intentional with her time.
When it was time to work, she worked.
And when it was time for her to rest and rejuvenate, I’m sure she happily did just that.
This is where my conviction in biblical homemaking begins.
I had to take an honest evaluation of how I spent my time throughout the day and eliminate time wasters and adjust as needed.
As a homemaker, I was not exempt from stewarding the time I’ve been blessed to have at home with my family.
For example, I could not be so busy running to and fro, that I am not properly, watching over the state of my home.
This one skill alone (watching over the state of your home) will begin to show you the importance of creating organization systems, purging more often, or even becoming more aware when it’s time to shop and restock on necessary items as necessary.
The Bible is clear that God not only pays attention to the minor details but He actually cares about them too. (see Luke 12:7)
As biblical homemakers, God has given us the charge to watch over the affairs of our homes with much attention to detail.
And when we need to be reminded as to why this is so important, here’s some food for thought.
Isn’t it much easier to pray, read, meditate, worship, etc. when your home feels clean and organized?
Do you feel like you sleep better at night when your bedroom is neat and picked up?
That’s because when there is order in the home it naturally brings a sense of calm making it easier to relax.
We can be assured that God does not want us to be frantic and stressed, but to live in a state of peace.
And this peace can help us focus better on our role as a homemaker, and help us to be in a better mood altogether!
When we are raising our family with a biblical homemaking perspective, we understand we are preparing our family. For today, and the eternal life to come. Therefore, prioritizing family time in prayer and devotion is important, to say the least.
Gathering as a family to talk about Godly values in the mornings, evenings, or before bed no matter when or how this happens what’s important is that it happens.
Finding small pockets of time to share biblical truths, is also a continuous duty as a biblical homemaker.
Along with sharing His truths, having the heart of God and being a living example is equally as important.
Seeing tasks such as cooking, as an act of service, and love instead of a moment to gripe and complain, is just one small way to cultivate biblical homemaking in your home.
Remember, the Proverbs 31 woman?
Well, she rose up early to provide food for her family.
And I’m sure her heart was one of service, love, and dedication to her family.
Not complaining and in a bad mood.
Times when I feel complaining wanting to rob me of my joy in the moment, most of the time I take a break and regroup. Sort of like a mommy time out.
As I take time to think I try to see in what areas I have too much on my plate and begin to eliminate and focus on what’s necessary.
Thank goodness that God does understand that even as homemakers, we are still human and don’t always get it right.
GOD’S GRACE FOR BIBLICAL HOMEMAKING
As our children grow and become able to take on more responsibility, we can allow our children to help around the house and learn necessary life skills.
Even while teaching these lessons to our children we should seek God and ask Him to help us have a heart of patience and gentleness to go along with our teaching.
As we teach our children these skills we want to try to remember to reflect the love of Christ.
As a mother, leaning on God’s grace is such a big part of my homemaking that without His grace I would feel completely lost.
It is His grace that reminds me that I am loved and accepted unconditionally by Him regardless of how well I execute my to-do list.
His grace is what keeps me out of competitiveness and reminds me to embrace and appreciate what He’s already given me.
For anyone wanting to know where to start on this Biblical homemaking journey, it all starts with understanding His grace.
I truly believe that God has given us all the individual grace we need to care for and love the families we have.
We have the grace to fulfill what He’s asking us to do as caregivers, homemakers, and anything else He has called us to.
Studying scriptures about the Proverbs 31 woman, stewardship, kingdom, and God’s original intent for mankind, are some of my favorite ways to refocus on having a biblical mindset when it comes to homemaking.
IS HOMEMAKING A CALLING?
Is homemaking, a calling?
If you ask me this question, I will hands down, always say yes!
The moment we choose to start a family, that’s when our home-making assignment begins.
We take on the assignment of making sure we have a safe, loving, nurturing place to live and raise our families.
We begin learning how to meet our loved one’s emotional and physical needs and set the tone for the home.
Although we all choose to do things differently, we all have the same end goal in mind.
To honor God through loving our family.
Oftentimes, when considering scriptures to help bring clarity about callings, we tend to focus on a calling to a church or ministry.
But we can also use the Bible to get clarity and direction about biblical homemaking as well.
In fact, Godly principles are a great way to build the foundation, you want to set for your home even before starting a family.
And if you skipped this process, no worries. It’s never too late to pick up the bible and begin learning about biblical homemaking.
The calling of biblical homemaking focuses on the balancing act of our domestic duties so that we can better focus on our spiritual duties.
It is much easier to pray, read the bible, worship, or even have family devotion time when you don’t feel like your kitchen is overflowing with dirty dishes.
Or there are piles of laundry everywhere and the house is a mess.
The calling of homemaking is more valuable than the family housekeeper.
The calling of a homemaker also involves living out your convictions.
In other words, modeling your convictions in front of your family through your acts of service to your family.
And the beauty of all of this is that God sees it all.
God knows you have the spouse and family members you have, the children you have, and their various temperaments, and that you have to navigate it all.
While also striving to maintain a home that runs smoothly.
We can be assured that God has and will continue to give us the grace to complete this great calling of homemaking.
LEARNING HOW TO ENJOY BEING BUSY AT HOME
“Keepers at home” is used in the bible to describe women in the bible who were focused on their roles at home and to their families with an emphasis on fulfilling God’s word. (see Titus 2:5)
Understanding the correlation between their homemaking and faith allowed them to understand the seriousness of biblical homemaking and also find joy in the process.
Many homemaking can sound mundane and just plain boring at times.
But I have learned a few tricks for making these everyday necessary tasks much more enjoyable.
TIPS FOR ENJOYING BIBLICAL HOMEMAKING AT HOME:
- Use cleaning products and cleaning tools you actually enjoy. You may be surprised at how much time you spend in a day cleaning. Often times it’s worth the extra investment to purchase supplies you like and that work well. What better way to spend that time with products you actually enjoy using?
- Be intentional with learning homemaking skills. Learning homemaking skills takes time. If you want to improve your skills such as cooking meals from scratch, or growing herbs, or making a d.i.y. wreath for your front door, you have to allow time in your schedule to sit and learn that new skill. Don’t feel guilty for creating time to learn something new.
- Find time to pray. I know we are all talking to God throughout our day, but there is such a benefit and growth to our relationship that we will experience with God. Take time to set all the housework to the side and do nothing but talk to God and listen for his instructions for us.
- Decorate your home, to feel warm and welcoming. Maintain not only a clean but also a comfortable home with inviting furniture. Family Entertainment, paint colors that coordinate with your liking, and wall art you love are all small ways to create the cozy, warm home that you desire.
- Execute your household tasks while listening to music, podcasts, or biblical teachings. Not only does this help the time go by faster, but you are filling your mind and feeding your spirit. Feeding your spirit daily is key to staying strong and motivated for biblical homemaking.
- Carve out time for yourself to pursue your hobbies or interests. “Me time” is important for biblical homemaking, because it gives you time to discover the many parts of who God created you to be apart from a homemaker. You may very well also be a budding artist, designer, photographer, or the like.
- Practice having a heart of gratitude. Having the assurance of knowing you are loved by God should become the starting point where all gratitude starts. Whether your home is perfect or not. Practicing gratefulness for the family and home you have today is the springboard for all biblical homemakers.
RESOURCE:
Read more about HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR HOMEMAKING SKILLS
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