Keeper of The Home...Part 2

photo courtesy of www.flickr.com

So, now that we all know what and where our homes are to us...what now??

Well, for our study this morning (which was supposed to post automatically yesterday morning...except yesterday was not the 12th...OOPS), I want us each to think about our day to day lives. They are all different, I'm sure. I have been a college student mom, a part-time working mom, a full-time working mom, and a stay at home mom. Each season of my life has made it easier or harder to keep my home. I won't lie to you...it is much easier to keep my home and create that sanctuary now that my kids are in school than it was when I was working full time. But don't you think that is totally not coincidental in God's plan?

Do you think that God purposed or planned for women to work outside of the home, or do you think that consequences of sin have caused women to work outside of the home? I believe the latter because it was the truth in my own personal life. I certainly don't condemn working women, and am one myself, but I know just as every other working mom knows...when you are gone from your home for 8-10 hours a day, it is much more difficult to keep it the way the Lord intends us to and create that sanctuary than if you were in it all day. I am not saying here that working moms are any less able than stay at home moms to keep their homes. Shocker?? No, I believe that it will be harder for a working mom, but it can definitely be done. My pastor's wife always says this and it makes so much sense. She says that ALL women are commanded by the word of God to have their families at the top of their priority list. That means above themselves, above their pleasures, above their own jobs if they have one. The word of God doesn't tell us that we can't care about ourselves, that we can't have our own desires and goals that we are trying to fulfill or that we can't go to work everyday to support our families and be that helper to our husbands. No, but what the word does say is that your family STILL has to be your top priority, so when you come home late in the afternoon and want to just zone out in front of the tv because you have had a long day...TOO BAD. You choosing to add more to your plate doesn't give you the free pass to not have to cook supper, wash clothes, or spend quality time with your people. Those things still must be your top priority. So what I learned from this was that you can certainly be outside of your home as much or as little as you would like, just know that the more you are...the harder it is to get those things done that are commanded of you and what God cares most about you doing of you inside of it.

Now, here is the kicker. I have so many friends who take the glory road of "I'm a stay at home mom...look at me." I could not disagree more with that attitude. Because guess what? Going to the gym, meeting friends for lunch, taking sewing classes, playing Pokino, going out for "girls night" on the weekends...still means that you are OUT OF YOUR HOME, but your home must still be your top priority. And, just because you "stay home" doesn't mean that you are taking your responsibility with the commands that God has placed on you any more seriously than the next person. What are you doing with your time and how do you feel about what you are doing.

AGAIN, it is all about your heart. Your home is not the sticks and bricks that have built your house. It is the realm of your family. And how you keep it depends on what is in your heart.

Next week for our final discussion, we will talk about exactly what is in our hearts and how to make sure that our families are our top priorities!! See you all next week!!