Take bugs for example. Both men and women hate bugs. Roaches are especially hated. And yes, some bugs do harm, and must be removed. But what are the methods we use to get rid of them, and is getting rid of all of them necessary?
Our yards look like they have been to the beauty shop. In some subdivisions, there are even contests on whose lawn is the most beautiful. There are even ribbons put into the yard to show appreciation to the owner of the beautiful yard. But what are the trade offs? How does God see all this?
Many women struggle because they don't think their house measures up to some certain standard. My goal for you is to set you free from feeling like you have to keep up a certain standard.
For 25 years, I have been homeschooling my children. If you want to do homeschooling properly, your house is not always going to be clean. You see, your children have to learn, and they need to be in a house where they can learn and experiment. Even if you do not homeschool, your home is still your children's primary place of learning.
If you are homeschooling or if you have children in your house, you have probably figured out by now, that your home does not match the pictures of the homes in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I hope you can be ok with that. I hope that you realize, that if you are in Christ, God accepts you (and your home) just the way it is.
In some ways, your house is going to be like a laboratory. If you are aware of the many things going on in the food industry, you will realize the need to prepare your own food, and if you are really adventurous, you may even be growing your own organic garden. You are doing this because you love your family and want them to be nourished, and you know that if you open up boxes and cans of prepared food every night for your family to eat, that the trade-off will be the health of your family members. Your kitchen will not always be neat and tidy. There will always be activity going on inside of our kitchens and other areas of the house.
God is a God of order, and I am not saying that a homemaker should be lazy or disorganized. But realistically speaking, it takes a lot of work to make a home, and to properly take care of those living in the household. Your piles of messes can still have organization to them, and when projects are finished, then they do not have to be left out. We use bins and containers, along with book shelves and storage places to make things look tidier and to keep things off the floor, so they do not get lost or broken.
My house will never look like the ones on the cover of the magazines. I have different cultures growing in different rooms. I buy food in bulk and there is never enough room in the cupboards or shelves to store the food. The linen closets are small and only hold a small amount of linens. I can see that homes are designed for families with one, or at the most, two children.
We have to compare our ideals with what the Bible teaches. Regardless of what people say when they believe culture is more important than what God says, God has the ultimate authority in our lives. Culture would teach us that a woman needs to have a career. Staying home with children is old fashioned and worthless. Instead of women having an identity with Jesus Christ, their identity comes with their career. Many women today choose not to have children because of the cost and inconvenience, but God's perspective is different.
Today, we see a lot of adults that are (or appear) stupid. I am not saying this to be mean. There are adults who do not even know that they need to look both ways before they cross the street. There are men who have no idea that they should carry heavy loads for women, and many adults today do not even know how to say 'please' or 'thank you'. Could it be that these adults were children who were 'left to themselves' with very little adult supervision? Could it be that mom wanted that career so bad, that the kids got left out of the deal? Could it be that dad got custody of the kids while mom was out flirting with men, and now dad has to try to be both mom and dad, and burned out by trying to hold 3 jobs to make ends meet, while the kids had to be left alone for long periods of time? Moms, wives, homemakers, you need to serve your families first! You hold the key to your homes being in order!
Back to the beautiful houses. Do you want your house to be on the cover of a magazine, or, would you rather have your family be served, so they they can be trained and equipped to minister to a lost and dying world? Can you let go of the bugs for a while, and take the time to work with your teenager as he goes through a crisis? Can you use your lawn to produce nourishing food for your family instead of putting poisons on it to make your yard look beautiful?
If you are listening to God's voice, and following what He says, your house and yard will probably never appear on a magazine cover. If you struggle with this, you can ask God to help you see what is most important. You can ask God to change your heart and to be satisfied with those things that will have everlasting results.
'The grass fades, and the flower withers, but the word of God stands forever.'
'Whatever we sow, we will also reap'.
'Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart'.
' A child left to himself brings his mother to shame.'
'The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world.' (not in the Bible, but still a good quote).
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