Making a house a home is God’s assignment to women and with that assignment comes the potential to either build up or tear down the home (Proverbs 14:1).
Titus 2: 3—5 gives us some tools to build with: loving (being fond of) our husbands, training our children and keeping our homes. God gave us the job of being the home keeper.
That word originally (in the Greek) meant to be a home worker.
I recently read that the home was once described as a . . . place apart . . . a walled garden….in which certain virtues too easily crushed by modern life could be preserved.
THE HOME - A PLACE SET A PART
Several foundational heart values must be set in place for a woman to become an on-purpose home keeper and to create sanctuary in her home.
Some of those heart values have to do with looking at what I call Sanctuary Robbers. You can refresh your thinking by reviewing part one, part two and part three.
ORDER AND PEACE IN THE HOME
God gave the woman the role of bringing order and establishing peace in her home. Home is to be that place of sanctuary and peace providing restoration of the soul for the family.
If the woman of the home isn’t at least somewhat organized (this can be learned) and if she hasn’t established at least a few daily habits (these take time to develop) to fulfill her role in being the keeper of the home, it won’t be too long before exhaustion sets in, confusion and discouragement are the emotions that rule, children become unsettled and unruly and a husband becomes discouraged and maybe bitter.
I know that so many young women have never been trained (by older women) how to create a home that IS sanctuary. Many women haven’t had it modeled or been taught what it means to be a wife or a mother (biblical one) let alone how to keep the home and make it sanctuary.
CHAOS AND CONFUSION
Chaos and confusion are two ways a woman can systematically tear her house down. In time, the chaos of her foolish ways (lack of heart values, unmanaged margins, lack of foresight toward eternity, a personally undisciplined life, unwilling to learn, not caring about the marital benefits and others) will tear her home down. A home, intended to be a place of sanctuary and peace and restoration of the soul, will become a place of turmoil
POWER, PRODUCTIVITY, JOY
The more a wife and mother seeks to Create Sanctuary and apply the Simple Home principles of order and structure by implementing a daily home front routine (training children, keeping the home, nutritious meals, respecting the husband), the more she’ll feel empowered, be productive and have a sense of joy.
When a mom’s day is ‘on purpose’ and her steps guided by routine and a (flexible) Home Front Margins the more she’ll have that internal sense where at the end of the day, she’ll be able to say (with some JOY) “Phew, it was a good day.”
FUTURE CHAT TIMES
Relax, stay with me and bring your cup of tea or coffee as we continue on the path together Becoming an On-Purpose Home Keeper.
I've got plans to chat about how to set up daily margins, creating Home Front Centers (HFC), decluttering suggestions, good equipment to work in your HFC's, hospitality and how to build bridges, make your table have power - and lots more!
This is a repost from an earlier series.
I’d love to hear how you’re doing and what is effecting you most from this series! I'd like to hear where you personally struggle. That will help me to know how to more thoroughly address some of these issues. Leave a post or write me personally at lylahl@aol.com.
