We all get discouraged at times with our homemaking. And the scriptures say in Proverbs 14:1 ... EVERY wise woman builds her home and the foolish plucketh it down with their hands. The scriptures, in Romans 6, speak of yielding our members to righteousness ... our members being our flesh ... like our hands and feet and minds.
So, here is a way to use these scriptures. Proverbs 14:1 does say "every" wise woman, not just some wise women. If you are a wise woman, you will build up your home. Sometimes we just want to sit on the couch and look out the window in discouragment. And yet, we must yield our hands to God. We must yield our hands to His righteousness. We must yield happy hands to our mixing bowls. We must take on our aprons and pick up our wooden stirring spoons. We must yield our hands to our rolling pins to roll out our pies and cookies for our families.
When I get up in the morning to care for my family, I begin right away to yield my mind to my home making. My mind may want to dwell on the negative or the past, but I say, "No, I must be a kitchen saint and an example to my grown children and their children. And I must submit to my own husband as unto the Lord." I must serve the Lord, not as a man pleaser, but as a God pleaser. So when I wake up in the morning, I get dressed and put on my apron and look to my pantry to see what I will make for a family meal for today. I make sure my table is cleaned off and pretty and neat and, often, I light a little scented candle to put on it. And I will lay my Bible out on my table, open to a scripture, usually in Proverbs, about the wisdom of God. And when I go by my Bible as I do my housework, I read a scripture and try to meditate on it.
But through obedience to God as a keeper at home, I continually take on my cloak of humility as a servant at Home. I know that I want to be a wise woman and I want to please the Lord. I have six children and two baby grandchildren that Papa and I happily help with. And often, the family comes over for a meal, as we invite them often. I want to be an example to them of the word of God and of a wise woman. Papa still goes out to work, even though he is at a retirement age. We feel we must be examples to the young families about us.
Upon my old wooden family table, I set a kerosene lamp. As I light it, I think of how the wise virgins had their lamps full of oil when the bridegroom came back for them. If an angel was watching you through your kitchen window right now, dear Mother, would he have a good report of faithfulness to tell the Father about? Or would he say "Mother is slow in faith and will not yield her hands to her mixing bowl ... or to a hanky to dry her children's tears."
Dear Mothers, we only have one life to live for Christ, and only what is done for Him will last an eternity. Where is your treasure laid up? Is it in the bank, or in stocks and bonds? Or is your treasure in heaven ... your rewards that rust can't corrupt or a thief steal?
Dear Mothers, yield your eyes unto the word of God that says that EVERY wise woman builds her house. Yield your hands to your sewing and to your brooms to sweep your kitchen. Yield your minds to songs of joy and praise as you thank the Lord for a kitchen to clean and children to teach and dishes to wash. Keep your stoves warm with meals prepared with loving hands ... don't let your kitchen lights go out or your stoves grow cold. Keep your warm heart lit with songs of joy as you yield your minds to wisdom.
We all have children that we are praying for. We all have times of discouragement. But we must keep our candles in our windows, dear Mothers, calling our prodigals out on the dark night. We must not falter or fail, as He hears our prayers.
We must set our hearts upon Him and upon being wise women who build up their homes.
