Homemaking God's Way: Your Heart

By: Jenifer Metzger

Seven years ago we began 2016 with a six week series on homemaking. This is a topic very dear to my heart. Now that I am have been a homemaker for 25 years and my daughters are homemakers, I wanted to revisit this series. Please join me over the next six weeks as we discover homemaking God's way.

Throughout my 25 years of homemaking, I've encountered many comments such as, "Oh, you are a homemaker. But do you have a real job?" As well as, "What can you possibly do at home all day?" Or my personal favorite, "You're home all day, you have time to do it." These comments no longer offend me because I know they come from a lack of knowledge.

In years gone by, homemaking was a beautiful thing. Today, people are offended by it. Homemaking is seen a worthless job, or not a job at all. Homemakers are fearful they are not living up to their full potential and outsiders think it's a waste of time.

Here is how I see homemaking: my ministry to my mission field. Homemaking is my calling from God. I am called to minister to and care for my family and my home. You, too, are called to minster to and care for your family and home. Regardless if homemaking is your only job or you also work in the career force as well.

It's not always easy. But as a pastor's wife, I can honestly tell you that ministry is rarely easy. Yet, I have zero doubt in my mind that God called me to this.

Throughout this series, I want to give you hope and help you find joy in your homemaking. I want you to begin to see caring for your husband, children, and home, as a ministry and find purpose. I want you to learn to be a homemaker, God's way.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Colossians 3:23

Today we will begin our series with working on our own heart. Yes my friend, this is a very serious part of homemaking.

Our family loves baseball. Think about this, a baseball team knows how to play the game. They know the rules, they know the concepts, they know everything there is to know about baseball. They are also physically fit. Those guys work out daily and they are strong. So they are fully capable and prepared to play a game of baseball. However, they still practice! They go into spring training for roughly two months before the season even starts. Then, they practice every day. It doesn't matter one bit that they know the game or that they are physically fit. It matters that they practice.

The same goes for us. We know how to take care of our home. We know how to be a wife and a mother. But we still need to spend time with God. It's our warm up time or practice time for the day. Just like in baseball, a play may happen that catches a player off guard or makes them change their course of action a little, but they are better equipped to deal with it because they practiced, they prepared. When we spend time with God and read His Word, we are better equipped when life throws us messy plays, and in homemaking, there are always messy plays!

Also like a baseball game, even though the players know how to play, they still have coaches to direct them throughout the game. We need to continue our communication with God throughout the day. Have your quite time with God in the morning -or whenever your best time is, then pause a few moments several times a day to continue talking to Him. End your day talking to Him again. I rarely say "amen" when I pray. Amen finishes a prayer, but I want to pray all day long.

The first step in finding joy in homemaking and in doing it God's way, is to work on your own heart and your own walk with God.

This week's homemaking action plan:
Commit to spending time with God every single day. Personally, I much prefer mornings. But if morning time just doesn't work for you, at the very least, pause and pray before you even get out of bed in the morning. Then find a time that works for you. Continue to talk to God throughout the day. Praise Him. Thank Him. Sing praises. Ask Him your requests.

Discussion:
1. Whether you work outside the home or not, you are still a fulltime homemaker. Is this a new concept for you? Do you consider yourself a homemaker?
2. As busy women, it can be hard to find time with God. Are you ready to commit to spending time with Him every day?