Guest Post: Homemaking to the Glory of God
Guest Post by Olivia McEntireWhat is it that makes a house into a home? What is the nebulous thing that makes some houses warm and inviting and other houses cold and quiet? I've been in quite a few different houses and I've noticed in some houses you feel right at home and others you feel like you've intruded if you merely sit on the couch. Is it based on the order or cleanliness? The type of decoration? The colors?
I've come to the conclusion that it is based on the attitude of the keeper of that home. What is her outlook on the home? What does she think the purpose of the home is? What does she believe about her role? These things and more make up the differences between houses that people live in and homes that people laugh in. It makes all the difference if the keeper of the home sees her house as a tool to use or as a god that should not be messed up. Some keepers forget that a home is for living and entertaining... not a showcase to impress neighbors and friends.
So is there a higher purpose in the way we keep our homes? Does the decoration or lack thereof make a difference? Is spending money on decorations a bad use of resources? Should our homes be bare of anything except absolute necessities? Does it matter to God how organized or tidy our homes are? Is it a bigger picture than just trying to stay on top of the endless piles of laundry to be folded, the sink full of dirty dishes, the dirt tracked in, the finger prints on glass, the, the, the. . . it goes on and on, does it not?
It's easy in the day-to-day living to be buried under the endless tasks before us and in the meantime forget the higher purpose of what we are engaged in. What? - A high purpose in scrubbing the tub or sweeping the porch? Those seem like such unimportant tasks, but they are not. Part of the problem keepers at home face is the feeling that what they do is unimportant because feminists have declared it to be and lots of men don't appreciate it either. Why make a homemade lasagna when you can buy a frozen one for $7? More and more the fundamental tasks of running a home are becoming less important as they can be shipped out or shipped in as the case may be.
Years ago the tasks a woman did were essential. A wife and mother needed to be at home. If she wasn't at home to make the soap, bake the bread, scrub the windows... there was no one else to do it and no easier way to get it done. Now such is not the case but that doesn't make our tasks unimportant. If anything, they are more important... because there is such a lack of women who are still willing to fulfill their God-given role in this way.
My mind has been plagued by questions of "does doing all this really matter?" Above all else I want my life to be spent on worthwhile things. I don't want to fill all of my time with tasks that have no consequences. I don't want my hands to be busy with things that in the eyes of God doesn't matter one way or the other. It's easy to think that we are only really serving God if we're a missionary in
It wasn't until recently that I finally was able to wrap my mind around the idea that creating a beautiful home is a right and good thing. Certainly, I've always loved beautiful homes and I want to create one some day... but there was always this niggling little thought that couldn't all of it just be vanity and emptiness? Was it God-honoring to have a beautiful home, or was it better to just have a serviceable one?
I gave lots of thought to it, read articles on the subject, read passages of Scripture... and then, I discovered the answer was no further than the view from our kitchen window. Creation! What do I see in creation? Beauty and order. God could've made everything drab shades of gray. There could only be black birds. Leaves could just turn brown and die. Instead they turn vibrant shades of orange, red, purple, and gold. Ever seen an ugly sunrise? Ever noticed a sunset that wasn't breathtaking?
This world is full of ugliness. All you need to do is read the news. The home-life of the world is in shambles. You are now in the minority if you have the same parents as your brothers and sisters and your mother is a female, your father is a male, and they're still married. You know, the kind of families that used to characterize
Surely, as Christians our homes should reflect the peace and happiness we have inside since we met Jesus. Shouldn't our homes follow the pattern God put before us in creation - beauty and order?
Oh yes, it takes energy and time. It's a lot more work to dust around things. It's harder to sweep if you need to move rugs. Coffee-table books continually need re-stacked. But, in return we have a beautiful home that can be a testimony to the lost and a retreat for our family and a place where friends can have enjoyable visits.
I speak to myself here! I don't keep things as clean and tidy as I could. Sometimes I want to skip the beauty so I can have the ease... I'm not faithful in my tasks like I would like to be. When I look at creation though, I'm thankful for the unwavering faithfulness of God. Did he not promise Noah, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." And He included a token with that promise!
When I agree to marry a man, I want to not be a keeper at home to the least of my ability, but to the best of it. How often do we hear "the touch of a woman" spoken of? There's just something about the way that a woman can transform a home, but instead of taking that role seriously we take the easiest way out too often. Does a messy family deserve our unwavering dedication to creating a beautiful home? No, but then neither do we deserve the blooming flowers when we complain about rainy days and the hot sunshine. Husbands are counting on their wives to be faithful in executing these things!
At this time in my life I am not a full-time keeper at home... as I don't even have my own home to keep, but I am endeavoring to learn the 'tricks of the trade' so that when the time comes I can execute the duties of keeping a home faithfully and with beauty. In my future home I hope to create a place that will reflect the beauty and order of creation. I don't want to fail to put whatever ability I have into making my home a place that echoes the peace and joy I have inside.
It's not about having a decorating budget. It's not about having 100's of dollars to spend at Hobby Lobby. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. It's about making the most of what you have. God doesn't expect any more than that. Each home will look different. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. You might like to look at tea-cups in a curio cabinet. Mama likes to look at enamel lids on a wire shelf. Everyone will create beauty different and the goal isn't to try to make your home look like mine, or visa versa (though... getting good ideas from each other should always be a welcome thing!).
The Scriptures encourage us to do everything heartily (without reservation, gusto, genuinely, exuberantly, vigorously, thoroughly, completely) unto the Lord. I want to be a keeper at home without reservation and plenty of gusto! This is something you and me can do to the glory of God. I look forward to the time when it will be upon me to do if full-time, but for now I'm enjoying this chance to learn and practice at it.
-Olivia McEntire - visit her blog, A Daughter at Home.
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:00 AM
5 Comments:
Olivia~
Thank you for this post. It is something I struggle with. It is often much easier to just let my laziness or desire to do anything but tidy my home, than to actually just take a few minutes to straighten up. I often feel intimidated by not having much money to make my house look as I'd like...but that really isn't what God cares about.
Thank you for reminding me of these things.
Blessings,
Sommer
thanks for the timely post..i find it so hard to keep up...and i work at seeing my home as a gift to my family to be proud of....i'm struggling and i'm praying....
Celina from Canada
Beautiful and inspiring. Thank you.
Those are wonderful conclusions you have come to! "Do all to the glory of God"
This has stirred many memories, good and not so wonderful, and is so encouraging. I'm so thankful it was shared.
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