Homemaking Defined

Last week during our little trip to M___ with my mother-in-law, Amy needed to stop for a potty break not 25 miles from our house (mental note to self: Wait at least an hour after leaving home before giving sippy cups to toddlers). :o) We pulled into the nearest convenience store and I took Amy in to use the bathroom (I detest using public restrooms, but that's another story in itself). On our way in Amy spotted a display of porcelain dolls in the front window and wanted to stop and look at them once we got inside. While she looked, I happened to see a cute little wooden plaque with a quote painted in black letters which read,

Homemaking is love made visible.

I stood there and read it several times, letting the words sink in. Love made visible... What an excellent definition of homemaking, and definitely a profound discovery to make in a gas station! :o) Had I brought my wallet in with me I would have bought that little plaque right on the spot.

That quote has been tumbling around in my head the past week and I've realized more and more how very easy it is to lose sight of the real reason we women do what we do. Too often homemaking is reduced to little more than housework; a list of duties to be marked off a never-ending to do list. But isn't love the motivation behind all our efforts? It should be, and, I think, for most of us it is. We just need a good reminder every now and again that our homemaking is more about joyful service and cheerful faces (ours and our families') than it is clean kitchens, spotless floors, and folded laundry. Without those things our work can quickly become drudgery and a source of frustration- not only for us, but our families as well!

Have you ever felt like a slave to your house work? Like you could just bite someone's head off for tracking dirt onto your freshly cleaned floors, or leaving a trail of toys or clothes or shoes all over the house you just spent an hour tidying up? The frustration of never really being "finished" with housework is something I think every woman faces; most jobs need repeating on at least a daily basis! But when frustration replaces the joy of serving others and we become more concerned about perfect rooms than we are the people who live in them, it's a good sign that our priorities need readjusted.

So this is my challenge for the day: Today while we make beds, pick up toys, wash and fold laundry, prepare meals, scrub dirty dishes, sweep floors, and all the other hundred tasks entailed in keeping a home, let's keep in mind why we're doing it. Not just so our homes will be presentable, although that is a good goal to strive toward. Not simply to mark a chore off our to do list so we'll feel like we actually accomplished something by the end of the day. The compeling force of our efforts is love for our families and our Lord. We want to please them and we want to please Him- right?

Oh, and while we're working, let's not forget to smile at our husbands and children- frequently. Speak in a pleasant tone (even when we need a nap), read books to little ones, sit and cuddle while we fold clean laundry, apply an extra dose of patience while we homeschool those kiddos or help with homework, overlook the scattered newspaper while we chat with our husband... or whatever else we can think of to make sure our love is truly visible.

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:17

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31