Yesterday I spent time with Kristy and my three grandkiddos. We chatted about all sorts of wonderful womanly and homey things. She shared some super cool ideas that she and her husband Simon put together to train their three year old daughter, Mia at the family table. It was such good stuff that I've asked her to grace and gift me by being a guest and write a post on this experience. She said YES! I can't wait . . .you'll love it.
So, today is Baby Steps Day 17 and I'm taking a bit of a different direction as I've been thinking that sometimes I’m this lone woman ranger standing on my soap box tooting a silent horn. When the horn being tooted seems so contradictory to the culture – not just the secular one but the “religious” one that calls itself Christian and says it follows what Jesus says to do and
yet it seems like something different.
God is clear on what loving Him looks like. He says that If you love me - do what I say. How we do relationships with Him and others – in the community, in the church and in the family reveals where we're really at. Of course, we're NOT perfected in this, but we've got to be in process with some real fruit being revealed. What IS the fruit in your life?
I'm called to walk in obedience to live - I say LIVE the Bible - do the Bible. Principles for women to live are all over the place in the Book.
I'm called to be a HELPMEET and RESPECT and SUBMIT and KEEP MY HOME. Let's just start with those Big Four. What's YOUR attitude toward those? If your home is a mess - then that's a good guage of your attitude. If you don't have a meal planned for dinner tonight to bless your husband, then that's a good guage of your attitude.
OK, I know I’m stomping on feminist thinking toes here and I’ll might get a nasty note or two from that statement, but sometimes I have this momentary weariness UNTIL a fresh wind blows away because I find out that I am NOT alone!
There is an army of feminine women returning to the Centered Life (post coming) – returning to understand what it means to be a Purposeful Home Keeper. This gentle army of women are those who are tired of the way it’s going – because it’s NOT working. Many of these women have NEVER been trained, but their hearts are crying out for truth and help so that they can leave a legacy of doing life God’s way.
Today, I visited with my friend Stephanie – she lives in Canada. Well, I actually popped on over to her Keeper of the Home space and devoured this post that she’d written this week. I love this wind today.
I then visited GirlTalk – from where she was inspired and went here where they’ve written:
Twentieth century British author G.K. Chesterton has liberating insight for all homemakers who feel pressure to excel in something besides homemaking. In an essay entitled “The Emancipation of Domesticity” he observed that woman is a “general overseer” in the home, and as such, she must be able to do many things well—she shouldn't have to worry about being "the best" at something.
“In other words, there must be in every center of humanity one human being upon a larger plan; one who does not "give her best," but gives her all…..
The woman is expected to cook: not to excel in cooking, but to cook; to cook better than her husband who is earning [a living] by lecturing on botany or breaking stones….the woman is expected to tell tales to the children, not original and artistic tales, but tales--better tales than would probably be told by a first-class cook.
But she cannot be expected to endure anything like this universal duty if she is also to endure the direct cruelty of competitive or bureaucratic toil. Woman must be a cook, but not a competitive cook; a school mistress, but not a competitive schoolmistress; a house-decorator but not a competitive house-decorator; a dressmaker, but not a competitive dressmaker. She should have not one trade but twenty hobbies; she, unlike the man, may develop all her second bests.
This is what has been really aimed at from the first in what is called the seclusion, or even the oppression, of women. Women were not kept at home in order to keep them narrow; on the contrary, they were kept at home in order to keep them broad” (emphasis mine).
My fellow homemakers, let’s embrace the “larger plan” ordained by our Creator. Let’s not worry about being the best, but eagerly give our all to the broad calling of serving in the home. END of quote.
Oh, today the wind is sweet . . . very sweet and I return to my Centering Place and the Love of My life in four days. Need any past baby steps? Go here for full review.
2 comments:
FANTASTIC quote.
All too often I get intimidated and caught up in looking at the women who are "better" cooks than me. I have to keep reminding myself that by cooking more - just going outside of what I used to be able to do and COOKING, not necessarily preparing "gourmet" meals - I'm still a much broader individual than I was 10 years, 5 years, or even 1 year ago.
This is an excellent reminder. We see all these fancy chefs and cooks on the TV and in magazines and all the fancy (expensive, oftentimes) decorating and fashion magazines....it's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking we are less than other women and not seeing that we are the best US we can be as long as we are centered at home and trying to improve ourselves and make things better daily for our families. THANKS!!!!
That quote was Heaven-sent. I strive to be perfect at all, but then I inevitably fail because I set the bar too high. I am learning to be the best that I can be and that THAT is truly the best I can give.
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