“A pregnant woman with her hair in curlers, wearing a frumpy
housecoat and bedroom slippers.” This
was the humorous input of my oldest son, Doug, when I told him I was opening
this post with the question of what image comes to mind when the word
“homemaker” is said.
Okay—not the most flattering definition. Ahem.
Perhaps you think of June Cleaver, Beaver’s mother with
coiffed hair, bracelets on her arms, a string of pearls at her neck, sporting
heels and an apron in the kitchen. Is
the mother of “Leave it to Beaver” your picture of a “homemaker?”
Or is it June Lockhart as Timmy’s apron-wearing mother in
the TV show, “Lassie,” your perfect image of a homemaker?”
Maybe you envision Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffith show
bustling about, keeping things running smoothly for the Sheriff of Mayberry. Aunt Bee, Andy Taylor’s paternal aunt, created
a cozy home filled with warmth, laughter, love, and lots of good food for him
and his son, Opie.
Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier, but her
personal life certainly didn’t reflect the part she played on the show. I read online that Aunt Bee’s latter years
were spent in seclusion in a spacious two-story Siler City
home, and rarely left her house. Her
homemaking skills portrayed on the show were sadly absent from her own home.
When she died, her dark and dingy home reeked with the
stench of her fourteen cats that used a shower stall and a basement room as a
litter box. The plaster was peeling off
the walls, there were no curtains on the windows, the walls were bare except
for a few clocks, and the carpets and upholstery were worn and frayed. She had
a $700,000 estate and personal belongings valued at $31,683. Aunt Bee was known on the show for her good
cooking, but there was only one cookbook in her house.
What do you think the world would say about a Christian wife
whose home was as dismal, dirty and chaotic as Frances Bavier’s? The Word of God would certainly be
maligned. That’s why it does matter how
we live; it reflects on God if we carry His name.
So—what does “being busy at home” look like, as instructed
by God in Titus 2:3-5?
The word “keepers” in Strong’s Concordance at #3626 says it
means “a guard, be ‘ware,’ a stayer at home, ie, domestically inclined, a good
housekeeper. The words “stayer at home”
and “domestically inclined” caught my attention.
Traditionally in the church, wives didn’t work outside the
home except in extreme hardship cases.
They stayed home, raised a family and “kept house.” But when the Women’s Lib movement came along,
attitudes of “liberation” also found their way into the church. I’m not sure how much of that is good, to
tell you the truth. In that respect, I’m
glad for those old TV shows “Leave It to Beaver” and “Lassie.” Call me a traditionalist fuddy-duddy if you
want, but I have seen too much heartache and turmoil in marriages and homes
because of this “liberation,” and a disrespectful, superior attitude toward
men.
Do you ever feel embarrassed by the term “stay-at-home-mom?” You shouldn’t. Being a mother and a homemaker is a high
calling given by God. The home
environment you create and the children you raise for God are building blocks
in the fabric of a stable society. Remember:
as the home, so the nation.
Some Christian women would rather run around shopping all
day instead of cleaning a dirty house.
Dishes pile up in the sink, but she doesn’t feel like doing them. Laundry that needs doing overflows the
baskets, but she accepts invitations to attend jewelry parties, home decorating
parties and lunch with friends instead.
She neglects paying the bills on time, and even loses her mail because
of the mounds of clutter. Meals are
haphazard and unappetizing. After all,
she’s liberated; who has time for the mundane?
Some women simply want to work outside the home and be a
gad-about because they can’t stand the mess at home. Such a one needs training by a godly woman on
how to manage her home. And seriously,
some women don’t even know how to clean a house because they have never been
taught by their mothers.
Does it mean she can’t have a job outside the home? I say a Christian wife shouldn’t have a job
outside the home if she can’t manage her own household first. Sometimes because of financial necessity, especially
in the case of a single mom, she will have to work. But she still needs to manage her home
well. Tough challenge. My heart goes out to those women for whom
this is true.
If a woman wants to work outside the home, I believe the
Spirit of God is saying that a woman must not neglect her children or her home, so that no one
will have anything bad to say about the Gospel of Jesus Christ on account of
how she lives. It does matter how one
lives. I believe a mother should see her kids off to school and be home when the kids get home from school.
To the best of her ability, the wife should make her home a
haven, a place of peace, cleanliness, order and beauty. The way a house looks affects the emotions
and attitudes of every member of the family.
A home that is neglected reflects her attitude that she doesn’t really
care about the family members either.
The woman of Proverbs 31:10-31 is our godly example. She was a business woman with good business
sense, was diligent with her work and in her home, and had time for charitable
work as well. She watched over the
affairs of her household and didn’t engage in gossip and idleness. She had a good name around town, and everyone
respected her husband because she was an excellent homemaker.
Adam and Eve were to “keep” the garden, their home. Hmm. Eve
blew it. Now there’s something to ponder. Wives have been given a high calling; why do
we esteem it so lightly? Don’t ever
again say, “I’m just a stay-at-home mom.”
God bless you, dear reader!
Copyright © 2013
Elaine Beachy
