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Homemaking Matters

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Homemaking Matters @ AVirtuousWoman.org

The Ministry of Homemaking

You can find the rest of the posts in this series here: The Ministry of Homemaking Series.

Our culture has conditioned people to value less the domestic arts than productivity outside the home. And while people love to criticize women who enjoy homemaking, who doesn’t love to come home to the smell of fresh baked bread or a tidy house. Who doesn’t love to open their drawers to find clean socks and underwear on a daily basis?

Before I go on, I want to make this point. If you work outside the home, for whatever reason, this is a safe place because I don’t know your situation and I am not about to assume that any woman loves her family less because she works outside the home. And while I’ve always been blessed to stay home, I know there are many women who aren’t able to do that. Plus, there are many women from nurses to doctors to speech therapists to music teachers to figure skating coaches {and more} who have blessed my family in so many ways and I love them all very much.

Homemaking Matters

Generally, people think of a “homemaker” as a woman who stays home full-time. And, while that may be true, I want to suggest that all women – whether they work outside the home or not – are called to be homemakers.

[Tweet “Families need women who make home a special place to live, learn, and grow.”]

You see, families need women who make home a special place to live, learn, and grow. There is no other job that presents as many opportunities for shaping {for the good or the bad} the future of our country – of our world – than that of a homemaker.

Studies have shown that the environment at home directly impacts how well children adapt to their world and are able to learn at school. Children’s emotional well being is directly related to the home and how relationships are formed there. Families who sit together on a regular basis and share a meal are less likely t0 have children who smoke, drink alcohol, and turn to drug abuse.

Homemaking is a noble work. It’s the work of hands in tender care when her husband needs her. It’s the work of a kind mother tending to scraped knee. It’s the work of a home cook, preparing a family favorite meal. It’s the work of a wife who knows just how her husband likes his socks folded. It’s the work of a thoughtful woman as she goes about planning for the holidays.

Homemaking Matters @ AVirtuousWoman.org

The homemakers chores are abundant – never failing to provide something more to do each day. Laundry is always dirty. Dishes always need cleaning. Floors frequently need mopped.

I was recently complaining about how my kitchen seems to always be in a state of needing to be cleaned. How can it possibly get messy so fast? My daughter-in-law, Winnie, said to me, “Dirty dishes are evidence of you cooking good meals.” {She’s Korean and I love how she puts things.}

I laughed, realizing how true her words were.

But how often do I look at the piles of dishes, dreading the clean up? Proverbs 14:4 says,

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of oxen.”

In other words, if you have a family like I do, especially if they are home all day everyday, they are going to need to eat. Which basically means lots of dirty dishes.

We could say the above verse this way: Where there are no children, the house is clean, but oh, how much joy children bring!

[Tweet “God sees the unnoticed work of a wife and mother, of a homemaker.”]

This life is messy. Homemaking is messy. It’s easy for the homemaker to feel discouraged by the necessity of cleaning the same things over and over again on an almost daily basis. But it’s in the small acts of faith that we find God. God sees the unnoticed work of a wife and mother, of a homemaker.

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21

We can find peace and even joy in the ordinary tasks when we have an attitude of thankfulness. When we are able to praise God for the many blessings He has given to us – from the fact that we have indoor plumbing {toilets that need cleaning} to food on the table {dishes that need washing}. A grateful life is never wasted.

As a homemaker you have the honor of caring well for your family. No one else can do that but you! Sure you can hire a maid. You could hire a chef. But no one can replace you.

Home Work

Answers these questions below in a journal or notebook. Or, download my journaling page here.

I am Called to the Ministry of Homemaker

  • Look up these verses and write them down: Romans 12:11, Colassians 3:23, Psalm 90:17
  • How do you see your role as a homemaker?
  • Have you felt undervalued by other people? How does God see your role as homemaker?
  • What are you most thankful for at home?

P.S.Be sure to follow my popular board, The Homemaker’s Notebook, on Pinterest!

Follow Melissa Ringstaff {AVirtuousWoman.org}’s board The Homemaker’s Notebook on Pinterest.

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33 Comments

  1. I know these to be truths in my head but I have to meditate them in my heart daily. I struggle with feeling undervalued as a person because I am choosing my family over a career. Thank you for your blog, Melissa. I just joined and find It is a blessing. Amitha
    1. Thank you for your honesty, Amitha! People have so much more worth than a job or things. You are valuable to your family and most importantly, you are valuable to God. HE does not number your worth based on you bringing home a paycheck. God bless you. I'm glad you're here!
      1. I'm so glad I found your page. I am on a journey of rediscovering my true identity in Christ and learning about what I am called to do as a woman of God, a mother and a wife (although I'm not yet married lol). I have heard people talk about "the Proverbs 31 woman" but have never taken the time to read the chapter for myself or get an understanding of what it truly means until I started this new journey. I am learning so much and so many aspects of my life are improving. I pray God will continue to impart words of wisdom to you as you continue to be a servant of God and help your fellow sisters in the faith. God bless!
  2. Hi Melissa, I recently found your site, and I am so glad that I have! As a full-time working mom with two little boys, I found it so encouraging to hear you say that I am a homemaker, too! Unfortunately, the 'mommy wars' is still a very real thing in our society, and I wanted to thank you for your words of affirmation in a world where our words often divide instead of unite. The words you have written these past few days have certainly resonated with me, and I feel that God is working on my heart in this area. Probably because I do work outside the home, I feel a lot of stress and pressure when I am at home to make sure I get everything in order in the limited amount of time that I have. I feel that God has really been telling me, as I have been reading your blog, that homemaking is not about a perfectly spotless house but instead about a place of warmth, security, comfort, and love. I can't wait to read through the rest of the series! Thank you for giving such words of encouragement to ALL women.
    1. Hi Jessica! I'm so glad you're here. I do want you to be inspired to be the best homemaker you can be, because life's too short to spend it stressed out and worried! I do hate seeing women criticize each other so much. It's so unfortunate and not God honoring! Who am I to judge another woman's choices or circumstances? I have my own problems to deal with! And God takes us each where we are at and works with us, molding us into His likeness when we let Him in. God bless you and your precious family!
    1. Thank you, Chrissy! Yes, dishes are one of those tasks that I personally loathe. I'm so thankful for my new dishwasher, but even still... it doesn't take much in this big family for the dishes to pile up pretty quick! :)
      1. I seriously burn through dishwashers. I am on my 4th one in 20 years. I asked the guy what their lifespan was as the last one only lasted 3 1/2 years. He told me I had excessive use. It is not a decoration in my house. If I'm cooking/baking up a storm to cover for my nights I'm working then it gets run up to 3 times a day instead of daily or twice. Was 6 of us down to 3 of us now, but when they all come home with spouses and Grandchildren it is running a lot! It is a necessary item in my home.
      2. Shelia - you sound like me! We have a big family and a lot of days the dishwasher is going at least twice! I went years without a dishwasher and just got a new one a few months ago. It's been a dream come true for me!!
  3. Hello Melissa, I am having a hard time finding Monday's post. I am clicking on the series link but it keeps bringing me back to today's. Can you guide me to find previous posts? I know this started Monday.
  4. Such an inspiration for the new year!! I try to remind myself of these things as I am sorting dirty stinky laundry!!! It's not always easy though!! i think the Amish have a song and a mind set for simple chores... A joy to be living a joy to be ...... Reminding themselves of the Godliness in every day loving tasks. Thank you Melissa for the beautiful reminder!
  5. Thank you so much for this, i have been having critiscism about my lack of mothering and housekeeping from 'friends' for years and what ever i did it was to please them and i never inwardly felt happy. But since seeing your blog its changed my frame of my mind and since i'm being a homemaker for not only My husband and Children but for God makes it so worthwhile and at the moment, despite having a masking tape road on the floor (had a bit of fun with 17 month old son yesterday) i have a relatively tidy home.. still lots of organising and decluttering to do though but getting there !! Thank you for refreshing my mind and focusing on what really matters in homemaking :)
  6. Amen, sister! I am 62 years old and I can tell you by living through that time, that when women's libbers came on the scene, they started pushing women out of the home to work and implying that if you did not work outside of the home you were actually lacking in intelligence. I remember those years well. I am SO glad the trend is turning back to homemakers and home schooling. You can still live on one income if you manage your finances well, don't live in a monster home, don't have more than one car and don't buy smart phones for everyone in your family. My husband and I have a flip phone and no longer have a land line. Women are supposed to stay home to take care of the home and the children. Husbands say they work better knowing their wives are taking care of the home front while they are away during the day. I know there are single moms who have to work. I suggest you visit Sarah Titus' blog. She is a Christian who feels every woman has the right to stay at home with their children. Read her story. She went from an abusive husband, homelessness and poverty to working out of her apartment, buying a home and car and living quite well on $18,000 a year. AND, she has two kids. As my 77-year-old mentor tells me over and over, "God gave us these beautiful minds to work with. We need to use them." Great post! Cate <
    1. It is a wonderful blessing to be able to stay at home with your children. I also understand that there are women who need or want to work and I also realize there are amazing women who work outside the home who have blessed my family in countless ways and I can't begin to judge their choices to work outside the home. Women doctors and nurses who have saved my child's life on more than one occasion. A female speech therapist who gave my daughter the gift of being able to talk clearly. And a female dentist who my daughters love - and my girls always refused to open their mouth for male dentists so I'm grateful for our female dentist. And so many more women who have been a blessing to my family because they work outside the home. God is so good and I'm thankful for the fact that I've always been a stay at home mom and I'm also thankful for women who choose not to. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
  7. I see you have not released my comment. I am a Christian. What I said is true. If you don't wish to publish this because I made the comment about women's libbers, I don't understand why not. I lived that era. Christians should not be women's libbers. I just started following you. If my comment seems offensive to you, I will unsubscribe from your blog.
    1. Hi Cate, actually I just stay really busy and it takes a lot of time to sit down and approve comments. I only work on Mondays and Tuesdays and usually go through comments then. Thanks!
  8. I am really enjoying your blog. I have just gone from years of homeschooling my children to sendjn them to public school. It has been a huge adjustment and I feel like I am trying to figure this whole home making thing all over again. How do I function all day without my kids? How do I make the most out of my time when they are in school? How do create an amazing home for them to come home to? Anyway, I have read several blogs similar to yours, but am just really enjoying yours. I like the homework you offer. Thanks so much!
  9. I have recently been in desperate need of some homemaking encouragement. My mind has been in turmoil. I don't have too many close friends that value homemaking. I am very involved with the church, but still find myself getting quite discouraged after attending and hearing so many comments from other women on how their careers and jobs are going. I have a certain friend who has her two boys do the household chores. She works and makes great money, but I can see between the lines. 20 plus years ago, I aspired both physically and mentally to be a homemaker and valued my role. I am finding it much harder now days to take pride in it because of society and the church's lack of respect for it. Help! I need so much encouragement right now. I know deep down what the Bible teaches on the subject and I want so badly to take it to heart again.
  10. I have often felt very undervalued by others when it comes to my role as a homemaker. However, I know it is where I am supposed to be. It is an honor to be a help meet to my husband and mother to my children. This is my ministry.
  11. This was a great read! It can be easy to forget the importance of so many ordinary things and how they add up to something irreplaceable and invaluable!

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