"Keeping the home"
Since we're tackling Halloween and public schools this week, we might as well also talk about women working outside the home. Amy, in her usual wisdom, has a great post on the subject:
I've also noticed that, some would say, it's OK to volunteer outside the home (especially doing ministry), but it's not OK to “pick up a shift” for money outside of the home. This position is inconsistent and intellectually dishonest. The distinction isn't in Scripture; we are commanded to keep our homes. To hold a consistent position, you'd have to say that both are sin.
When Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath, this was an outrage. In this way, however, we see that God is more interested in our keeping the spirit of His Words and not the letter only. This is how it is possible for a woman to stay at home 24/7 and still sin (in her smugness) while it is possible for a woman to work outside the home, doing so unto the Lord and thereby glorifying God.
Scripture teaches us that women with small children (especially speaking, since the command is given to "younger women") ought to "keep" their homes. (Titus 2:3-5) The responsibility for their upbringing belongs to families, not institutions. This is one reason we bought 54 acres and hope our children build their homes nearby. Raising children is hard on a woman during her childbearing years, and I don't want my daughters to do it alone. I'm doing it, and it's not ideal. We need one another.
Read the whole post.
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:00 AM
30 Comments:
Keeper at home means something, doesn't it?
http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3626&Version=kjv
For someone to be considered a widow indeed, there are qualifications. One young enough is to remarry. One without husband support is to have support of family first and in the lack of that support from the body of believers. Doesn't seem to indicate that a woman's priority is to have included outside the home work though in certain cases she might find herself having to do just that(where is the extended family & church in times of need, even if married or divorced?).
I believe we've stepped far from the original design of the family and New Testament church holding all things in common(caring for needs of those within in love ~ not a matter of communism). Remember the book of Ruth and the kinsman redeemer? God made provisions for precious ladies.
Feminism jumped even into the sheepfold with "Yeah, hath God indeed said?". Instead we have mega churches of entertainment and less discipline to produce numbers but the numbers aren't necessarily sheep nor do they necessarily love when they are.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1Ti/1Ti005.html
I agree with Amy's post.
As an interesting note to Amy's comment on living off of $318 a week...my husband and I are currently living on about $160 a week, we own our own home (still paying mortgage, but very low payments), we are currently NOT going into debt or relying on gov't assistance by God's grace, and miraculously we have been accumulating savings at the same time! (The reason it is so low right now is that I am not working outside the home (as of August), he is only working part-time and going to Seminary full-time (someone paid his way this semester.)
Of course, our first child isn't due until January, but living off of one small income is SOOOO possible! And we are having tons of fun learning how to save money, too! When God calls you to do something (for us, me to stop working, to leave child-giving in God's hands, and for my husband to stay in school) He WILL give the grace to do it!
I realize that there are situations where a wife must work outside the home, but at the same time I think it is very easy to fail to trust and obey and to be willing to be content with such things as we have.
I hope this kind of fits in with the discussion.
One thing we have considered...once my dh takes early retirement, would it be unBiblical for him to stay home and raise the kids primarily while I work part-time? The kids would be under age 10 (2 of them). And this would all be not only with his blessing but preference. He would actually be a better homeschool teacher than I especially as the kids reach jr/high school.
My argument usually is the verse that says the wife is to be the keeper at home - but what of the above? At the point my dh retires we will be financially able to live mostly off of investments and my working parttime would be to pay for things like health insurance. So my dh has done his part in providing us with an income while staying home.
Any thoughts??
I thought Amy had a good post >i did disagree with her about volunteering and working.Since my children are in public schools(which is another argument)I said that at times I need to get out of the house and I volunteer.If I don't I get depresed.When you are a volunteer you can call in and say I won't be there,they aren't going to fire you because they don't pay you!!I am productive when volunteering becasue I could be at home watching TV or even shopping just to be shopping.
This is so near to my heart.
I sometimes wonder why people think my son isn't as important as theirs.
Why should I have to work sooooo hard and long but others don't expect their wives to work so much.
Why am I not also called to be a keeper at home? (I am by the way!)
I don't mean that I should sit around and watch TV and have everyone pay my bills, but sometimes I just wish there was a LITTLE more understanding and support.
I haven't blogged about it because I don't know how to portray my heart without coming across as whiney or demanding--which I am not. It's hard with words/internet sometimes:)
Lizzie
Keren: I completely agree and though we didn't live on such a tight budget (way to go! Sounds like you need to write a book!), I think that in many, many cases people can live on one income. There are exceptions and I've encountered some of them through some of my wonderful blog readers! But I think the normative Biblical principle is that when you have young children at home, it is your job to be training, raising, nurturing, and protecting those children.
One reason I started my new blog is because I am hoping to provide practical help for those trying to live on one income or those hoping to move in that direction. I don't just want to say, "I think it is best that a mom stay home with her children" I want to provide practical help for people to make that happen!
Anonymous: If that is truly what your husband wants and desires, than it is your first priority to honor him. I have known of moms who must work (in the case of where they have made unwise financial decisions in the past and truly cannot live on one income though they are moving in that direction, or cases where they are a single mom, or cases where a husband is requiring his wife to work, etc.) and they have been creative in finding a job which doesn't take them away from home for long-stretches and allows them to keep a home focus.
I do believe that the Biblical order is for a husband to be the provider and a wife to be the helper/nurturer. It will work out differently in each family, but these are the principles we see lined out in Scripture.
Here is elaboration, for those interested, on the woman being the weaker vessel to be cared for by God through the family & church from the perspective of God's Word.
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg54-36.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg54-37.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg54-38.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg54-39.htm
God bless ~ thank you, Crystal, for standing on truth in times such as these.
I agree to some level on your post. But I really think that my husband is also a parent and can take care of our child (which is coming in 8 weeks!) He will be working 4 days. He will take care of our child the other day. I will be working then. Not for money, but I just love my job as a teacher in a reformed school. I don't think that it is sin to work outside the home. I do think that your child is your first priority as a mother.
Lizzie,
I'm not quite sure what your situation is, but I don't think the intent of the article referenced is to imply that you are inferior as a mother or that your son is less deserving of a full time mom than anyone else's. As a matter of fact, I think Amy presented a well balanced view point in her post that was compassionate toward those mothers who must work-for whatever reasons. That said, the standards set forth in Scripture should always be our ultimate aim, and we all have to depend on God's grace in those areas where our situations are less than ideal.
This subject is so near and dear to my heart! I believe that women with young children should be keepers at home. But I also realize there are exceptions to this ideal..we live in a fallen world. However, they should really be the exception, and not the rule. :) I don't take issue with mothers that HAVE to work. But I do admit it grieves my heart a bit to see women choosing to work because they can't stand the tediousness of staying home with their children, or they feel they "have" to work to keep up with their two car payments, huge mortgage, debt, material desires, etc.
But I feel that I have an amazing testimony in that regard. Once again, there are exceptions, but I believe that it is Biblical to stay at home with your young children, and that God can really bless you if you desire and purpose to do so.
In my teen years, I was at a crossroads of what to pursue academically...dancing or nursing. I felt led to nursing because I knew that I wanted to stay at home with my children, and if something should ever happen to my husband I knew nursing was a livable income with very flexible hours. Halfway through my degree, my first child arrived, so I set that aside.
Because of some poor decisions that led to a less-than-ideal situation, I needed to earn income. I struggled with this and cried out to the Lord to deliver me, as I wanted to stay at home with my child. Instead, the Lord creatively provided two jobs for me that allowed me to bring my baby with me! I never had to leave her with a sitter. Instead I brought her to "play" with the precious children I began nannying for. And instead, I brought her to bring joy and comfort to an elderly woman with Alzheimer's who was near the end of her days. That one was the sweetest...she could not remember her name or where she was half the time, but she always remembered Jesus! I got witnessed to weekly, and she often would randomly and loudly recite scripture or hum hymns.
After she passed on (and the children had entered school the next year), I found it no longer necessary to work. Yay! My husband had a fairly stable job, and he didn't make much but it was very livable.
Then he lost his job. The company downsized, and his whole department was axed. While he searched for a job, we struggled with the question of whether or not I should work. The answer appeared to be no, and anything door I thought open promptly slammed shut. He was unemployed for several months, taking on odd jobs here and there. We couldn't quite keep up with all the bills (things like cable and such...unnecessary things!), but the Lord provided for us in so many ways. We always had food and shelter. He lost his job shortly after we discovered we were pregnant with #2.
After a long search, he found a new (and better!) job. We got caught up with bills and relaxed again.
Nearly two years later, he lost that job, once again not of his doing. But once again, I never had to find employment. Every time we began to fight the worry with questions of "should I contribute" the Lord miraculously provided our needs. When our savings had been exhausted and everything seemed overwhelming, he again found a new and better job, where he is still currently working.
If that sounds like a sob story, it isn't. We literally had all our needs provided without me ever having to leave home and children. I really feel God honored His word and the desires of my heart. Having been through unemployment once before, I have to say the second period I had so much faith and peace that God would provide for us, the thought that perhaps I should work never entered my mind. And He really did. He is so faithful!
My point is, even in less-than-ideal situations, God can prove Himself a faithful provider without us taking matters entirely into our own hands. Sometimes that does mean a woman is led to work outside of her home, if only for a season. But I just wanted to tell my story to encourage women out there that might be facing the same situation to wait on the Lord and earnestly seek His face rather than automatically applying to every job you can think of. :) Maybe the answer for you will be a job, but maybe instead you will have the opportunity to see some of God's amazing miracles in your life. :)
Anonymous:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say this: I would encourage you that if you don't *have* to work, don't. The investment of being there for your child all day long everyday is of inestimable value. Much more valuable than anything we could ever do outside our home.
Perhaps you could consider doing some teaching or tutoring from your home during your child's nap times? And then maybe on your husband's days off, you all could just make it a really special family day - a day to bless your husband and do fun things to keep the spark alive in your marriage instead of leaving him at home to hold down the fort while you go do something which you said you didn't have to do, you were just doing it because you wanted to.
Please know that I say all of this in love. I'm just encouraging you with the little I've learned from being a mom thus far. There are so many good things which are constantly trying to steal the *best* things.
I'd much rather look back at the end of my life and know that I'd been faithful in my calling as a mom and wife, than that I'd accomplished anything else.
God bless you!
Mrs. T. - What a beautiful testimony! Thanks for sharing!
Lizzie: My heart always aches for you and I think of you when I think of those "exception" cases. I've learned so much from you. And oh how I wish that you lived closer!
For those who don't know Lizzie and her situation, I heartily encourage you to check out her blog.
What I like so much about Amy's post and your blog and site Crystal is that the Spirit of trusting God's good designs and plan all the while depending on His mercy and grace is very evident. Jesus is the point in all we do. What ever we do we should examine ourselves to see if it brings glory to God.
Being zealous for the home to be a place of honor, not reproach, and a place of blessing not a burden, and a place of value as God values it has at times caused me to forget that some are weak, some are confused, many are focused on finances... we all are at differing places in our walks with Christ. Though there is no doubt in my mind as I study scripture that God says the home is the most important place in any society I also realize He desires for the heart to change above all and if our hearts are changed the plans and desires He has for us will be desired by us and He will bring them to pass in His time.
I have prayed often, experiencing myself confusion and condemnation and burden over this subject; seeing Christian husbands and families fall apart and in turmoil constantly, searching for God's answer to why their finances and family relations are such a mess yet missing the solution as they send their wives off to work and their kids off to daycare and never read the scriptures to see God's design for the family and believe Him for their provision.
And then there's the masses of wives (of which I was once a part)who see homemaking and raising children as slave, or menial labor and not the very fertile bed which all of society grow out of.
We are much like what the scripture says, we suffer because we either don't know the scriptures or we deny their application to our lives presently- it's "old fashioned" we say.
I so desire a mass heart change amongst the heads of homes and the helpers of homes! I'm zealous for it! But God is teaching me that the most important thing is love.
Honoring our husbands as the authority God has placed in our homes yet seeking fervently for God's ways to be established in us as wives and mothers and in our homes is where we need to be as daughters of God who place their trust in Him. Just as Sarah, and just as Esther.
this is a great post, but very controversial. the scripture is quite clear as to the role of women in the home, and our Lord does not require us to do something without providing the means. i think one reason why we are a weak church in america is because we lean to our own understanding. rather that falling on our knees before God and asking Him for His provision, we assume that if we can't humanly provide then mom has to leave her God given responsiblity. wouldn't it be awesome if the world around us could see christians living within their means, and look at us with wonder as our needs and wants are provided for. we serve a living God who wants to shine in our lives by using impossible circumstances to show His power and wisdom. as far as ministry goes, a young womans ministry is to her family (which if done well is a full time job.) and the older women are to teach the younger women. this being said however, sometimes there are situations that could require mom to work outside the home such as divorce, or widowhood. but i've known women who have been through both, and have found a way to not only raise their kids, but homeschool them as well. are these super women? no. they are women who took God at His word, and trusted His wisdom and provision
Growing up with a father that was first abusive and then non-existent in my life and having several siblings, my mother raised us totally alone with little help. She did not have a church or friends to be there in her time of need. She did everything on her own.
Unfortunately in this life, there are husbands (like my father) who make mistakes or decisions that ultimately affect the lives of their wives and mother of their children (and of course this can occur with wives/mothers too). These situations are the result of sin - as sin is far-reaching and affects many people.
It would be nice if as Pfg mentioned the church could step up and do what it is supposed to do, but that is not always the case. I was abandoned myself by my 1st husband after the death of my only child. I did not receive the care and love I should have. I was not able to count on my church & lost many friends. Life is not always fair. Can I really expect it to be when Christ was beaten, spit upon and tortured for my benefit, for all of our benefit?
If we put our trust in people, we will be disappointed (I learned this the hard way). I put my trust in God only. That is all any of us can do. If somehow we have people that understand or are there for us, then that is a true blessing and we should realize that & be grateful. Some people have absolutely no one in their lives to help them & are completely alone.
I want to encourage you, Lizzie, too. I know your situation is very hard. You have a very precious son - don't let anyone think he is not as important. Those are not God's thoughts. Prayerfully your situation will end soon and life can heal for all of you. Just remember in the end you still have your family & don't forget your blessings. Focus on all you do have, give to others in any little way you can & the Lord will see you through.
I pray for all the moms/wives/single women here that want to be home that they will be able to. And for those who sincerely cannot, you are loved & valued just the same by God. Never forget that.
For those of you who believe it is wrong for a woman to work outside of the home, is it also wrong for you to accept their services? Should you just go to the male check-out guy at the supermarket?
This is a lot like the 'keeping the Sabbath" argument. I have heard people say you can't work on Sundays, but they will go to the gas station which is causing the gas station owner to work.
Personally, I think it is best that a woman with children stay home as much as possible, but that's it. I can't call a woman a sinner if she has to work, but I do think it is sin if she is neglecting her family for her own ambitions. Too many children are hurt by moms (and dads) who put their jobs before their children.
I really like this post by Amy. She approached this matter in a loving way.
-Zan
I do agree that a woman's main priority is to be the keeper of the home. We have made many changes in our lifestyle in order for us to afford. We do own a home, pay a mortgage, utilities, etc. however I don't believe that receiving public assistance is wrong unless you are doing it for the sole purpose of not working. We rely on God's grace for everything and God has bought Christian individuals in our lives who encouraged us to seek assistance in relation to receiving WIC. My husband works full time, overtime and with his current job is unable to take on a second job since he has to be committed to his first job. He has applied for MANY other small jobs but nothing has ever come through. Our town definitely is going through difficult economic times. Many Christian, hardworking families are losing their homes and businesses. The economy now is hard and their are many hardworking, honest, Christian individuals who need assistance and God has provided a way for individuals to receive help (of course I am not implying that EVERYONE who is on government assistance is truthful-many do cheat the system). When God provides the means for our finances to improve we certainly will not need government assistance but what Keren said about her not relying on government assistance (though I applaud their efforts of them not relying as she stated) should not mean that if you need to accept it that it is wrong. We pay taxes and those services are available especially for hard working families who are going through financial difficulties. Their has long been a stigma (as a matter of fact our local town newspaper wrote an article about the stigma people are given who receive assistance from the government) and I applauded the fact that she was honest to admit that she at one time needed government assistance when she went through financial hardship. She was a single mom supporting 3 children. She certainly could not undertake another job at the time without ever seeing her children. Once her financial situation improved she no longer needed the help.
I love this post. I do think that a mothers job is to care for her family. This hasn't always been the case though. Through the years I've had a hard time accepting the fact that my time at work will not directly corallate to how much my husband helps (only God can put it in his heart).
I must say however that I'm a strange mix of working mom and stay at home mom. I work 3 nights a week. During the week I homeschool my son and take care of my daughter. The one school night that I work I sacrifice my sleep for my children. God has provide me with the energy to cook dinner and clean with only an hour nap at times, as well as making my daughters naps longer on the days that I'm especially tired. My son has assignments to do while I'm sleeping and knows that I will help him with anything he needs when I get up. This may not sound like an ideal situation to some but it works for our family in this season.
I am a nurse. I love my job not because of the pay or the hours, but because occassionally I'm there to provide comfort to a widow or other family member when their loved one is sick or dying. I get to provide people with informaion on how to improve their health. I know God put me here to save lives.
My degree is also one reason that I have never been nervous of my familys decision to adopt a special needs child from India (and start the process for a second). So many times people take their childs health for granted. When you start with a 2 year old who has severe developmental delays, there are alot of unknowns. It is scary. God pushed me toward nursing so I would have the information to be the best advocate for my daughter. I know God will take care of her but don't believe that she will necessarily be healed. Sometimes the struggle of life is part of life and faith.
I have loved my job as a mother since the day my son was born. Not easy to say for a person who was 17 and didn't have a high school diploma, car or job. God showed me it would be ok. It has proven to be better. I hope to have a large family someday. I pray God will allow us to continue to adopt. It is such a blessing to us.
Please don't judge anyones decisions without knowing the circumstances (not that anyone is). Sometimes God puts a person in a particular position because they will be an aid, a vessel of His Will. A teacher could help many children know God or at least lead them away from bad choices. Gods path for 1 may not look so promising to another.
Thank you Crystal for your site. It has helped me in trying to pay off a horrible mountain of debt. We are far from free but will be in the next couple years. My husband and I dream of the ways we can spend the money outlandishly, blessing others with it.
Amanda
Zan: I agree. :) I can't make a blanket statement that it is always a sin for a woman to work outside the home. And if I did, I would be a hypocrite if I ever used the services of any woman who worked outside the home. (And it's pretty near impossible not to in this day and age!)
I can say, like you, that I think it is *best* if a mom stays home with her children - especially when they are young. And I think that a woman should be willing to make sacrifices to make this happen, if need be. It's not always possible, but much of the time it is. And I can also say, like you, that it is a sin for a woman to put her ambitions, job, career, ministry, etc. before her home, family, and children.
I'm so glad Zan and Amy brought up good points about accepting services from other women.
I do love that you offer tips, advice and suggestions for women who want to stay at home. You don't only talk the talk..you also walk the walk :-)
Great musings from Amy! I'm a huge proponent of being home and being "there" for my kids day in and day out as my mom was for me and am so thankful to be able to stay home even if we live very humbly.
I have to remember to be careful that even the home can become an idol and trying to be the best keeper at home can take my focus off Christ if I put that up as #1 priority. We can get so wrapped up in our "Christian cult" of rules or structure to impress others while trying to "be" or "look" godly that even homemaking and homeschooling can distract us from serving God. We can be so busy taking care of children, decorating the house, serving our husband, trying tasty new recipes and blogging to encourage other women, that we forget that God's desire is for us to keep Christ central in our home keeping.
What do I mean by the "Christian cult?" I mean that we Christians tend to become groupies in our little sects and denominations and we tend to play the game, "Who's more spiritual than me?" If someone differs on some points, (gasp, "She works part-time! She's out of my circle!" "She dies her hair! I guess she's not good enough for my groupies who are all-natural, all-organic Christian women!" This is just a humorous example, but if you search deep enough you will often find yourself judging others on their stances as Christians (Halloween, public schools, kinds of music, etc.) In fact, I was going to write in today and ask Crystal if she believed in her daughters wearing jeans or pants or taking ballet lessons, and then I thought, "How silly! Why would it matter? Am I trying to imitate Crystal, or Jesus?" Why do we Christian get so caught up in snooping on each other and judging each other's non-moral stances on things to see if they're good enough to be our friends or lesser than us in our eyes according to our silly rules? It's one thing to sharpen one another and proclaim virtues like modesty, and another to nit-pick over whose jumpers are most feminine or whose skirts are the longest or who has the most spiritual regimen for homeschooling their yet unborn babies. =) Sorry for the detour here, I'm preaching at myself! (*gasp*, I said the word preach! Now many of you will think that I'm a proponent for women preachers! =)
I loved the stories of how God provided for many of you in tough times!
My heart also goes out to Lizzie and others who desperately want the luxury of being home, but right now God has ordained a different plan. They are in no way lesser (in some ways they are stronger) and God will bless them as they seek to obey Him and follow His leading in difficutl situations. Their situations make me feel all the sadder when many of my friends choose to work when they don't really have to. Why would anyone do that when they have little babies at home? Yet, many of my Christian friends do so in order to have the things they think are necessities: cable TV, cell phones, fast food, prepared foods, etc.
It's good to know there are other women out there who's hearts beat for home.
Jesus our Lord and Savior, then Home (our families).
Sandi,
I, for one, think WIC is a good program. Children need to eat. Period. I believe you are restricted in what you can buy with WIC. I had a relative on it and they bought bread, cheese, milk, eggs, etc...
-Zan
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for posting that article. I've always believed it was best for Mom to be at home with her children, and have always thought of myself as a "stay at home Mom." Being a product of the 1980's, I was pretty much a freak among my high school classmates for not pursuing a career. As a young mom, I constantly had old friends stop over when they were newly married or newly "mommied," wondering what this stay-at-home thing was all about and how they could do it. I can't tell you how many times I loaned out my copies of Tightwad Gazette and Miserly Moms! (And at that time, a "stay at home" mom only stayed at home until kindergarten... boy, was I pushing it when we started homeschooling!)
However, I must admit that I have not been a perfect stay at home mom... I worked too. One day a week when my girls were little, at our family's antique & gift store. During the homeschooling years I would go over in the afternoon, after all schoolwork was finished, and help unpack things, place orders, or just have tea with my Mom & Nana. (I think sometimes the girls were glad to see me go... they would rush madly for the Barbie cases!) And, three years ago, my grandmother became sick and could no longer help in the business, so I worked three days a week to take her place. It's not been easy, especially with high schoolers, but at that time my husband also started his own business, our paycheck was cut in half and all benefits were lost, so the money I made was very much welcome and he was actually counting on it in our very tight budget. (And, our family has done so much for us...giving us land, helping to build our home, paying for vacations, helping us purchase vehicles, and being there for any crisis or illness, that I felt my helping them in their time of need was returning a little bit of blessing to them.)
I think we need to be very careful as Christians, especially as Christian women, to not point fingers and judge. The Lord does bless us with talents, like the Proverbs 31 woman, and He provides opportunities to use them to bless our families and others. Sometimes a wife is being obedient in working because her husband wants her to. Sometimes finances are really and truly in need of a little extra income. Sometimes we need just a little "people" interaction. I do think it's very sad to have a baby and then just turn it over to the daycare system while pursuing power and career, but I also do not think it is a sin for the wife to help supplement the family's income. A wife can be a great help to her husband... not only by earning some extra money, but also by being very careful with the money he earns and with the hours we have in our day. He can safely trust in a good wife that doesn't spend his money frivolously or sit around all day at leisure.
I noticed last year while watching the "Nativity Story" how Mary's family all worked together to try to pay the taxes, and that really got me thinking that perhaps biblically speaking, maybe the "keeper at home" command wasn't so much against the wife or daughters earning money or doing something productive... perhaps it may be against her gadding about, gossiping, and causing trouble by having too much time on her hands. That was the main problem the housewife of the 1950's had, with all her new time-saving appliances, that led her out of the home in pursuit of clubs and career. And today we (myself included!) can be guilty of that without ever leaving home thanks to the telephone, TV, and internet!
As Christian women, we should support each other in the path that the Lord has placed us on, pray for each other, and build each other up. Home and family should be first and foremost in our hearts as wives and mothers. However, our main purpose on this earth as a Christian is to glorify God in all we do, and to be an example for Christ to our families and to a lost world. Let us not be weary in well doing.
WIC is restrictive as it is not a food program, but a nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children. You can get organic eggs, milk, cheese (or regular if you choose) peanut butter, cereal, beans and if you are nursing carrots and tuna.
In the summer they will give you some coupons for food at the farmers market. It is very focused on nutrition, breastfeeding and here in our state it is not really a low income program, but it is government run, although not like many of them, very non-invasive.
I think it has to be a personal decision between you (your husband and you) and the Lord, and not anyone else.
I am a stay at home mom to two beautiful children ages 1 and 2 :). I have seen first hand the hardship of a single parent raising small children... not because I am a single parent, but because my mom was. She did her best, and I knew that she loved us and we loved her. I went to daycare one time in my life for about three weeks, and I still get upset every once in a while when I smell that distinctive institutional daycare smell. I didn't care if I had to sit in my mom's office or be in the back seat while she was shuffling around, being WITH her was important to me. Shortly after that, I started living with my grandmother, and I will never ever ever forget coming home from school and smelling dinner cooking and sitting on a couch instead of plastic furniture. I want the same for my kids. They will probably never ever appreciate it like I did, but I want them to have that.
Crystal:
Thanks for your kind response. :) Hopefully our current income situation will only be temporary, and less than a year, but we are so thankful for this time in which our Jehovah Jireh reminds us that He is our provider.
As to you blog, particularly MSM, it has probably been the biggest help and inspiration for me to stick to our budget and to really work heard at finding great deals. I did okay before, but learning to "CVS" has been a HUGE help.
Thanks again! :)
a response in love to those who have circumstances that seem impossible. How glorious and wonderful that God has promised to be our provider, and that what He promises He will perform. He has told us that His will for women with children is that we are to be keepers of the home. this is not human wisdom, this is a directive of God Himself.this is a great quote i heard from a pastor. "Truth defines our circumstance, our circumstance does not define the truth". Proverbs 31 teaches us how we can help financially in the home, and this is our model. so, it really comes down to this. do we believe God? do we trust that if we walk in His way He will provide for us as promised? the children of Israel had to be constantly reminded not to trust what seemed humanly possible, but to see what God would do with the impossible. When God commanded them to not grow crops on the sabbath year, can you imagine what they must have thought? this was their livelyhood. but God promised He would provide. unfortunatly they didn't believe Him, and so because of their disobedience, they had to go into captivity to babylon. what a sad testimony it is when the world around us cannot see that we are not of this world, and that we serve a King who has willed for us to be different from this world.
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