I Am a Homemaker (Part One)

When you ask anyone what they do you will get a myriad of answers.
"I'm in maintenance."
"I'm a secretary."
"I'm a nurse."
"I'm a coal miner."
"I work in fast food."
"I work in retail."
"I'm a therapist."
The list can go on and on but you get my drift. When asked what we do, we define ourselves by our jobs.

This post is going to be more geared toward the women because it's where my heart is. This subject is where my passion is. When asked what I do, I respond, "I'm a homemaker."

Now, before I get too much hate mail or ugly comments, let me share a few things:
1) I warned you I was going to write what God gave me.
2) I'm not putting down any woman who desires to work outside the home and I'm especially not putting down any woman who HAS to work outside the home. Unfortunately we live in a time where life decisions are made that puts us in situations where we truly have no other options.
3) I have worked outside the home myself. So if you think I'm making digs at you, then I must be making them at myself too....get the logic??

I would truly love to see all women be able to stay at home, making their house a peaceful, calm sanctuary for their husbands, their children and all who enter in. One of the greatest compliments I believe a woman can hear is, "I love coming to your house. It is so peaceful here."

I take the Scripture in Titus 2:3-5 to heart. As with all of the Bible, I believe it literally means what it says,

"In the same way, teach older women to be holy in their behavior, not speaking against others or enslaved to too much wine, but teaching what is good. Then they can teach the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be wise and pure, to be good workers at home, to be kind and to yield to their husbands. Then no  one will be able to criticize the teaching God gave us." NCV

It may take a few posts to go through this entire passage, but that will be perfectly fine. Before I jump on the homemaker issue, let me address verse 3. 

Speaking to these older women......my grandmother tried to teach what a Biblical help meet looked like. What a true homemaker was. My mom tried to as well, but she was born in that generation that was beginning to decide that a woman can do all a man can do and should. She should have a career and the husband should do just as much in the home as she does and the children were just fine having her an hour in the morning and a couple of hours, maybe, at night. That was mom's generation. 

My generation decided that not only could we have the career and the husband, but we could always dispose of the career and get a new one and we could dispose of the husband and get a new one if he got in the way of our dreams. 

I'm now seeing a generation of girls who, for the most part, doesn't desire to even be a homemaker and hey, doesn't even need to be a wife. The family unit is breaking down and for all intents and purposes today, that's okay. Who needs it anyway? 

Hold up!!! News flash!! The women my age ARE the older women now and according to verse 3, we are to be holy in our behavior, not speaking against others, not enslaved to much wine, (a debate I won't get into here. Work that one out between you and God), teaching what is good. Verse 4 goes on to say we are to teach the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be wise, to be pure, to be good workers at home, to be kind, and to yield, submit (yes, I went there) to their husbands. 

Question 1: How many women 40 and older do you know that are able, according to those verses, to do what the Bible tells us to do?

Question 2: Are YOU the woman over 40 that can fill that position yourself? 

It is my personal belief that there is no greater calling than to be a homemaker. It is my personal belief that God set up the family unit in just that way, the man the head of the home under the leadership of Jesus Christ, the woman a keeper of the home and all that entails under the leadership of her husband. It is also my personal belief that when those things get out of order, you see the family unit suffer and that begins a ripple effect, exactly like what we are living in today. 

I believe we, as women, have really lost sight of what God desires us to be and do. I believe that in looking vertically instead of horizontally, we, as women, desire things that will in no way give us pleasure or peace long term and we have bought into the lie that more is better and in order to get more, the family unit suffers. 

I am a homemaker. It is my desire to see women, and especially the young women, desire to be homemakers as well. Older women, it's not too late to make a change, if you possibly can, and strive toward the goal of coming home. It is my desire to see a generation of women step up beside their husband and support him as he leads and takes care of his family while she makes their home a haven of rest, peace, comfort and a place he looks forward coming home to at the end of the day. 

It is my desire to be that Titus 2 woman and maybe, it is or will become your desire too. 

I'm At the Well!!

I just want to say thank you to all of you who follow, visit, comment, hang out here at my blog. It really does bless me that you take the time.

Today I'm posting over At the Well, so just hop on over there to say hi!!

I'm talking about "Making the Right Choice".

See you there!

Studying...Created to be His Help Meet

We are studying the book by Debi Pearl, Created to be His Help Meet. Through our study of this book, we are going to learn what it means to be a help meet and actually living the role that God created us as women to fill. I've read this book once before and applied many of the things that Mrs. Pearl spoke of, and it has transformed an already good marriage into nothing short of awesome!! I encourage you to purchase this book and follow along or at the very least, check out the Pearl's website at http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ Any text taken directly from Mrs. Pearl's book will be highlighted in blue.

I realize that in studying Created to be His Help Meet at the rate of one chapter per week, we will be doing this study for approximately 24 weeks. We could go at this at a much faster rate, but I believe that if we truly want to change and fill our God given rolls as help meet to our husbands, then we need to take things slower and put into practice what we are learning. I hope you agree and stay the course with me as we become better help meets together.

Part 2: Titus 2

Chapter 21: Good

Are you a good woman?

I believe I am a good woman, and after reading through this chapter, I still believe I am a good woman, but I sure have room to be better.

Goodness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, so it's obviously very important.

What I found most interesting though was, of the men (including older teenagers) questioned about what they look for in a wife, the majority answer was someone who was not high maintenance, she couldn't be a lazy, gossiping, shopping going out to eat 4 times a week lady.

As a matter of fact, my own son when asked this question agreed but went on to say that he wants someone who can take a little and make it into something nice..or in other words, someone could never tell that things might be a bit tight. He didn't want someone who would spend more time whining than making do with what is provided.

I know with my own husband, he wants a woman who needs him, whom he can take care of, but he also wants me to be able to stand on my own two feet.

Not that he wants me to (because he truly doesn't), but he is pleased that I can change the oil in my car and keep a check on the other fluids. I know what a good running motor sounds like and if something isn't just right, I can tell him..and now, after 26 years, I'm often able to get close, if not on target with what the problem is.

I can cut the grass, weed eat, and do minor repairs around the house. Even if I can't fix what's wrong, just the fact that I'm willing to put forth the effort is enough to please him.

Mrs. Pearl went on to share that a good woman is a wise steward of the finances her husband brings home, will cook from scratch as opposed to going out or always preparing pre-packaged meals, keeps her house clean and the children well taken care of.

She shares that even if the husband isn't fulfilling his role as he should, by being what we should in Christ for our husbands will cause others to look at him and say, "He has a good woman". And what man wouldn't be encouraged by that?

Next week: Obedient to Their Own Husbands

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Today finds me in Gatlinburg, Tennessee celebrating my 26th wedding anniversary.

26 years ago today I said "I do" to my best friend and I've never regretted it.

Oh, there have been times over the years that have been really tough. There have been times when both have us wondered how we got ourselves in 'this mess'

There was a time when the "d" word was spoken and sought after and only by the grace and mercy of a great God, did in never come to pass.

We've known times of lean and times of plenty. We've known sadness and happiness and total and complete surprise.

We know what it's like to want a baby so badly and not be able to get pregnant easily and we know what it's like to get pregnant with only 1 try.

In 26 years, we've lived a lot....and there were a few times when it wasn't living, but shear survival....but..

I've walked through it all with God on one side and Philip on the other and there is one thing I know for certain....

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Happy Anniversary to my husband, my lover, my best friend....

Beginning a New Study

About a year ago, while on a family vacation, I bought a book titled, Created to be His Help Meet. It is written by Debi Pearl.



This book is totally about being a submissive, Biblical wife and I would highly recommend that you purchase this book.

You can find it at most Christian bookstores or you can order it direct from the Pearls at their website www.nogreaterjoy.org

When I bought it, I read it from cover to cover and found that I agree with almost 100% of the book.

I'm not getting any kind of commission or anything to promote this book, I just believe in it and want to share it with all of you.

It's laid on a shelf for some time now, and I've felt the need to re-read it as a refresher course of sorts for me. So I've decided to share it with my bloggy friends as well.

With that, I'm going to start posting on Fridays about what I've read and studied in this book throughout the week.

As most of you know, being a Biblical, submissive wife is very important to me. It's something that I am fully convinced that is mandated by God for our lives.

I truly find myself shocked at how many women, Christian women, who do not intend to try to the best of their ability to be the Biblical wife God has called them to be.

What is even more shocking to me, is how many of them think I'm nuts!!! Or they will make comments to the effect of they think it's great but it ain't happenin' with them.. I don't get it.....

So, if your desire is to be a more submissive, Biblical wife and you would like to walk through this book with me, you can just follow along with me each Friday, or you can purchase the book and we'll work through it together!

Hope you'll join along with me as we put into practice being a submissive wife and strengthening our marriages!!!!

My Husband Rocks!!

It's Friday and that means I'll be joining Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure to celebrate our hubby's!!

I've only been part of this meme a week or two, but I find myself looking very forward to participating on Fridays.

This week, Katy Lin posed the question, "What makes a happy marriage?"

DH and I have been married a bit over 25 years and today we are more in love with each other than we've ever been.

In our 25 years we have traveled so many paths. The first 8½ years, neither of us knew Jesus. We were living for the moment, partying hard, living fast. We were "good" people, people you wouldn't mind having as neighbors..but we were unsaved and it showed as 7½ years in we were talking divorce.

The next 7 or 8 months proved to be the toughest we'd ever been through before or since.

But God in His Sovereignty, had mercy on us. He put people in our lives that would lead us to Him and it's been uphill ever since.

For us...the secret to a happy marriage is really no secret at all.....It's Jesus.
There is no other way for a marriage to work. God must have every area of a marriage in order for it to be successful.

When God has first place, men desire to be good husbands...women desire to be submissive and good helpmeets.

There is power in numbers--a marriage is two people--but put God in the mix and now there are three. Three is most certainly stronger than 2 in the natural, but since God is Supernatural---well, it's really a no-brainer.

A happy marriage can only be found when you take yourself out of the way and put the other one first. When you do that you're not turning yourself into a doormat, you are loving someone more than self.

A happy marriage is work...it doesn't just happen. There are days when I'm confident I try DH's patience more than he would ever let me know..and I'm sure it's on those days that he'd like to take off running down the street, screaming at the top of his lungs..but the option to leave..to call it quits..is never an option.

A happy marriage is love. Whether you have little or much. Whether you are healthy or fighting an illness. Whether you are working or unemployed. Whether the kids are being wonderful or keeping you up all hours of the night. A happy marriage is sacrificial love....and who can we learn that kind of love from???

The Giver of the most sacrificial love ever...Jesus Christ.

Fall in love with Him, spend time with Him. His love will be shown to you and you can freely and easily pass it on to the one you've vowed to love forever.