I wrote this sometime ago on the Yahoo homemaking group that I run. A friend resent it the other day and I was encouraged by it. I thought I'd share it again. I would love to others' thoughts. :)
I was thinking earlier about the many different aspects of being a homemaker, and the many different pictures of what a homemaker is. I know that for me personally, my picture of what a homemaker is has changed over the years, and so has my perspective on all of the things that we do. Sometimes we ladies become overwhelmed because we see all of these things that other wives and mothers are doing and we try to compare ourselves to others and we feel like we fall short. I know this has certainly happened to me far too often. It also seems like the opposite happens and ladies start to feel like because they can't "do it all" that just doing the minimum is alright, and we can become lazy in our duties. This is also something I have been guilty of. It has been easy at times to say "Well I do more than she does, so I must be doing alright". What a terrible way to view our duties!
I was thinking earlier about the many different aspects of being a homemaker, and the many different pictures of what a homemaker is. I know that for me personally, my picture of what a homemaker is has changed over the years, and so has my perspective on all of the things that we do. Sometimes we ladies become overwhelmed because we see all of these things that other wives and mothers are doing and we try to compare ourselves to others and we feel like we fall short. I know this has certainly happened to me far too often. It also seems like the opposite happens and ladies start to feel like because they can't "do it all" that just doing the minimum is alright, and we can become lazy in our duties. This is also something I have been guilty of. It has been easy at times to say "Well I do more than she does, so I must be doing alright". What a terrible way to view our duties!
When trying to figure out just what we should be doing I think that it helps to have a clear picture of what a homemaker's responsibilities are. What is it that is important to your home and family? What does your husband consider to be important? I know I am often surprised when I ask my husband what his priorities are for what happens in our home. Knowing what matters to him has been so helpful in planning my day. For instance, it makes my husband feel loved and appreciated to know that I put careful thought into preparing our dinner. He has told me that it is not that it has to be some wonderful perfect meal, but just knowing that I took time and care into making it.
So, what are your priorities? How does knowing your priorities influence how you live daily in your role as the keeper at home? Why is it so important that we take care in our responsibilities? These are questions I am going to be prayerfully considering as I feel I am needing to grow in my appreciation in my role. I am really beginning to understand that the things that I do in my home, and the attitude behind them very much reflect where I am in my heart.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject, perhaps we can encourage each other on this.
Your Sister in Christ,
I'm glad this was brought out again. I'm definitely one of the ones that gets discouraged by what other wives (and mothers) accomplish. Especially since I'm new to the homemaker role and don't really have a support system outside of my blog friends, it's easy to get discouraged by what I don't get accomplished and what skills I don't have refined. I've learned though that the most important thing is that I work my hardest, keep our home clean and safe, and manage our home business to the approval of my husband (who is always pleased with my work, even when I'm not impressed with it). I have set a standard for myself and I seem to want to reach it right away, and it's going to take some time. God called us to be "keepers" at home, not perfectionists at home. I think your husband's point of view really says a lot--what matters most is that we put love and care in the things we do in our homes.
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