Keepers at Home

Let the aged women likewise be in reverent behavior,
not slanderers, not enslaved by much wine, teachers of good;
that they may train the young women
to love their husbands, to love their children,
to be discreet, chaste,
keepers at home,
good, subject to their own husbands,
that the Word of God may not be blasphemed.

--Titus 2: 3 - 5, MKJV

I think that the art of keeping a home has been lost. It's much more than dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, doing laundry. It's creating a warm, relaxing, and welcoming place for your family, as well as your friends. Most importantly, the home of a Christian woman should reflect the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in her life; the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22 & 23) - should be evident from the moment one crosses the threshold.

This type of home can't be created unless a woman is invested in her role as a homemaker. It takes time - not just a few hours after a day of working for someone else - but all her waking hours. Her husband should look forward to coming home to a haven of peace and rest after a day of working to provide for his family. Her children, if she is blessed with them, should want to spend time at home, and have their friends come to their house. It is a "kick off the shoes and sit and relax" kind of place.

I hasten to say that I have a ways to go in this pursuit. I am full of excuses - my health, homeschooling (which I've completed), and now my husband's serious illness - but I need to do my best by God's grace regardless of my circumstances.

So how about you? Is your home a haven, or a place of havoc?

Holding Faith,