And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 1 Timothy 5:13
But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:34
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
Being idle and wasting time is something that I perosnally get convicted of now and then. It is also something that seems to be a problem amongst woman in general but especially the Home-makers that I talk to. I once read this quote somewhere and thought that it is very fitting; Idle time leads to Idol time. There are so many distractions in the world today and so many ways in which we can get caught up and busy to our own detriment. The enemy wants to lead us away from our calling.
What I find concerning, is that many woman recognize this and know that their husband’s are not happy about their disorganisation within the home and with the children and yet they sort of brush it off as not that big of a deal. It actually is!
Our time is not our own
Our time is not our own. It belongs to the Lord. We are Servants of Christ and if we are married woman we are a helpmeet to our husband’s and meant to submit to and serve him first before any other person on earth. That means that his needs and wants come first. Not the Church, your friend’s or family.
Sometimes I hear woman saying how their husband complains about the messy house ongoing, or how the meals are never on time or the children are out of control. I want to tell these ladies to go home immediately and sort it out! Not to sound harsh, I just don’t think that we have a right to go out and about worrying about our own needs while our husband’s, children and home go neglected. We aren’t seeing our husband’s wants and needs as a priority. Therefore we are failing to fufil our role as home-makers.
Home-making is a blessing
We are to treat our home-making as a career. We should not be seeking to merely get by, but seeking to thrive in our role as wife and mother. It is so rewarding when we serve with all of our heart. It is a real joy and blessing that we should not take for granted. Many woman would love to have a husband and children to take care of so we should feel honoured if we have that blessing.
If we can understand our role and view ourselves as servants of the Lord, seeking to be a Vessel of Honour, then we would not want to be found idle, spending our time unwisely, dishnouring our head. We should have the desire to bless the Lord daily by taking our role seriously and serving wholeheartedly. The Proverbs 31 woman is an excellent example of a Godly woman who was definitely not idle!
Use your time wisely
What are some of the ungodly time-wasters (idols) that are hindering your home-making? Even good things can be bad if they become idols in our heart. Listen to your husband, what has he been requesting that you are not obeying? If he has been complaining of something and you have not taken action then repent and start obeying him now. Seek to be pleasing to him and show both your husband and the Lord that you are trustworthy. We are accountable for how we spend our time.
This is not to be taken out of balance. You are able to take time to rest and not be constantly busy, however you will know the difference between neccesary rest and just being lazy or idle. It’s okay to have play dates or meet friends occasionaly if your husband is fine with it. Just be careful that you are not over commiting yourself to activities that are actually harming your work within the home.
Therefore, ask your husband ( if you haven’t already) what his preferences are in regards to your time and home-making. Take notes and keep this as your top priority and work other things around it. Be wise with your time and be fruitful in your life.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:31
This was well written and contained great insight for both male and female Christians. You are right our time is not our own if we belong to the LORD. I am so glad to see you are sharing your wisdom and insight with the world, only blessings and goodness will come from doing this. I look forward to taking some time to read your other posts, I hope God continues to bless you and give you wisdom and strength.
Thank you Luke! I appreciate your encouragement and kind words. God bless you and your family also.
I really needed to read this, there were quite a few differing elements in your post that really spoke to me and got me thinking. Thank you for writing it, your insight is one you don’t hear people expressing a lot these days, but it is really relevant in these times where people are steering so far from the Bible, yet still profess to be Christian woman, but on the other hand I think there are a lot of well meaning Christian woman who perhaps aren’t as aware of things the Bible says as they are just not being preached or talked about as they are not very popular, and once woman are made aware by those who aren’t afraid to broach on what may not be the most popular topics, they are convicted, as they truly want to live their lives according to the Bible.
God bless you Megan, I enjoy your writing.
Thank you Dani for your encouraging and thoughtful response! I’m glad that the post spoke to you and got you thinking. Yes there are so many reasons for not following the Word of God and often we just don’t realise that we are not doing something that we should or we need that reminder. As I share these messages, I am so acutely aware of my own shortcomings! Thankfully God does not expect us to be perfect but to have a willing and teachable heart. God bless you Dani! I really enjoy your writing also:)
Good write up Megan! Iv yet to read the others.
I got similar insight years ago from Nancy Campbell’s devotions from Above Rubies that are geared for the homemaker. Such truth in there like yours. I definitely feel like this is my career & so I put the needed effort in. It does go in waves admittedly but once I read something encouraging, it’s all I need to get back into it & feel the joy of my job knowing that it is pleasing to the Lord who sees all.
Thankyou Heather!
I love Nancy Cambell’s site ‘Above Rubies’ though I’m fairly new to it. Yes being a homemaker is definitely a career in God’s eyes. I think we all need an encouraging boost from time to time when it comes to homemaking just to get back on track and find joy in our role.
Thanks for your comment!
God bless you,