A thought which has been resonating with me more and more this past year, has been acknowledging the privilege of being a homemaker.
So often we don't look at our roles within the home as a privilege, so let's first step back and consider the first privilege - having a home. Whether this be a rented flat or house, a room in your parents home, a caravan, a home with a mortgage, a granny flat...you all most likely have a home, a place where you lay your head, a space to tend with love and care. A home is a privilege, a place some people can only hope for.
Another privilege of the homemaker are the tools at her disposal which assist in her day to day tasks. Unlike our grandparents who did much of their work without labour saving devices, we have a seemingly endless assortment of cleaning, cooking and washing equipment right within our walls, just a few steps away, always ready for use.
We have hot and cold running water, a septic system, millions of recipes for using up what's in our fridge and pantry just a computer click away, and so much more.
Having clothes to wear, a washing machine, a clothesline with free sunshine and fresh air, these are more privileges we take for granted. I read of mothers these days complaining constantly about the amount of washing they have to do, due to the attraction of so many cute and cheap clothes on offer in shops for their children.
In my childhood this complaint was never heard because we only had what we needed, nothing more. What a privilege to have so many options today for clothing, but dear mother, do not complain if you choose to fill the wardrobes with them...instead, give thanks for the privilege of being able to clothe yourself and your family.
Shopping for groceries and fresh produce, preparing meals each day, baking a treat for a loved one's birthday, these are privileges that not all the world have.
Opening your front door to welcome family or friends, this is a privilege. Offering them a seat at the table or a comfy chair with a view of the garden, filling their cup with tea or a cool drink, serving a tasty treat or a hearty meal, this is a privilege.
When I clean, I consider the value of what I am doing. For to be sure everything I do has an eternal value. Every privilege I am given, whether that be the ability and tools to scrub the bathroom, the opportunity to care for my granddaughters, the time to listen to a child and do what I can to help, answering an email from someone who is struggling, being mindful of our budget and choosing to prepare the most nutritious meals I can with what we can afford, caring for a neighbour's pet while they convalesce...all of these things have value in eternity.
In Mark 10:45 Jesus very clearly tells us that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and through the Scriptures this theme often appears.
A homemaker has the privilege of serving and this will not go unnoticed by the Lord.
Every time I 'serve' with a willing heart, not whining about my lot in life or complaining that I have too much to do already, I am choosing to invest in eternity for we must never imagine that God is not watching. He has given us many privileges within our homes, and much grace with which to nurture a loving and welcome space for those who dwell within or venture across our threshold.
The less I look outside my home, the more I am able to do within and the more obvious my privileges become.
The less I look at my phone, the longer I forget Instagram is there (and I can forget for days), and the more often I take time to write down each day's tasks or goals (and do them) the deeper my sense of peace, satisfaction, accomplishment and gratitude.
This was a busy week with a few appointments, Blossom's birthday at the centre, plus a day with Cully May and Rafaella all to myself, and yet I look around my home and it is clean and tidy, dinner is planned, groceries done and put away, washing and ironing is up to date, candles are flickering and the fragrance of lemon myrtle fills the air. I even completed two new design projects by stitching and hand quilting in the evenings beside my husband as we listened to music or some teaching. I kept on top of things because the routines and choices I'd made to attend to my privileges were in place.
Putting aside the distractions which can so easily draw a homemaker away from her tasks, allows us to get back on track and once there we can maintain the rhythm of home week to week without anxiety, whining or falling behind. And when unexpected rough seasons come upon us, as they inevitably do, we will already have those good routines in place, which though disrupted for a while, we can slip right back into when the storm passes.
Dear homemaker, think about your privileges in the days ahead. Consider the value of your choices, and how they will be viewed through the lens of eternity. What legacy will you leave through the attitude and actions of a servant heart?
Yes, there will be those who will only remember your faults, or how you failed them, but if you seek to live your life with eternity in mind there will be many more who's lives your own example will touch and there's value in that, sweet friend.
I am a day-by-day work in progress, sometimes failing, but also overcoming, and that's okay. If we can seek to grow in grace and remember that all we do and the choices we make have value now and in the future, then we're looking ahead and not behind.
I am Jennifer, a privileged homemaker. How about you?
0 Yorumlar