Time and time again I've had Christian homemakers, Biblical keepers-at-home, write in to me and say how lonely it is at church because the church is full of feminists. It feels so lonely there because in a time for having fellowship, the other women are all talking about their work week. Instead of talking about their week spent at home preparing lovely meals for their husbands, teaching their children about the world God made, cleaning the home, sharing time management tips, or even about difficulties with parenting children, many Christian women think they have now found their "higher purpose" in having a job outside of the home. Even if their children are all grown and out of the house, they very rarely relate to the younger women who are in the throws of raising a family because their minds are consumed with holding down a paying job. This is not how the Bible says it should be.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
(Titus 2:3-5)Besides this, the mother at home is often neglected in sermons and rarely receives any encouragement for her good works at home (though in some churches, praise thankfully still happens). Perhaps the preacher is afraid of offending the working wives if he praises the keepers at home too much. Sermons may only center on a few favorite verses or focus always on evangelism, and often home life that applies to mothers, fathers, and children is sadly left out. Homemakers then often get the feeling that their work is not important, or is less important, because after all, they are not out "winning souls" like the men.
But.....
I want to encourage you...
Your work at home is important.
It does matter.
Even if no one acknowledges it or says a single word about it...
Even if there is no one at church to talk to about womanly things (keeping a home, raising children, teaching your children, loving and serving in your home)...
God sees you...
And He values what you are doing.
As a bonus, we now have the internet where we can find like-minded women who love serving their families at home! I'm so thankful that there are still women writing lovely blogs in between taking care of their families (or even when their families have grown), so we can learn from each other and still have a bit of "Titus 2".
So despite discouragements we may have, let's labor on in love for our families, and may we one day hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
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