Growing up there were only two women in my life that showed me what taking care of your family and home looked like: my Grandmother and my Aunt. I remember back then praying to have a life that mirrored them both because they were in solid marriages, took pride in their homes and were two of the happiest women I knew. Now those were the two that introduced me to Homemaking and unknowingly, many more who also paved the way.
Although I had great examples before me, there were still a lot of questions. There was a time that I thought being a simple stay-at-home mom or work-at-home mom was the same as a homemaker. Being a homemaker requires great discipline. It’s first, making your home a priority before anything else. A homemaker knows that she must spend quality time with Jesus. She’s not just doing things in her home to be seen or for show. She understands that hospitality also plays a part in homemaking.
As a homemaker and Christ follower, I know that I was called to manage and care for those in my household. I know that my home is a domain to advance the Kingdom of God. I desire to create an atmosphere that solely pleases Him. When thinking of homemaking, we often reference the Proverbs 31 woman, but what about Titus 2:3-5?
Titus 2:3-5
“3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
It is so easy to remember Proverbs 31 but I want you to remember Titus 2 just as much because these are the first set characteristics for Biblical homemaking.
Now that the foundation has been laid, lets talk about the 5 tips I believe will help you as a beginner.
First, do this to glorify God first.
Knowing that you are doing this first to glorify God will help you so much on your journey. Each morning, commit your ear to God. Show Him how thankful you are by taking 15 minutes to pray, read and journal. This may be hard to do at first but find the time. I will help. Be grateful to God for this new beginning. Submit your home to God. Give him the authority over your household and make this a way of life. Do things in your home as if Jesus was walking through the door. How would you welcome Him into this space?
Understand your household needs.
Take an assessment of your home to see what it needs. This includes things like inventorying the items in your pantry and refrigerator so you don’t overspend. This also includes the people in your home, like your health needs, or the social needs of your children. With this in mind, set aside one day for running errands to meet those needs. Those errands can be something like going to see the doctor, grocery shopping and setting up meetings.
Plan everything.
Planning each day allows you to know exactly what you need. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under the heavens.” Please do not over think this. All you need is a notebook pad and pen. If you’d like something cute to brighten your day, feel free to check out a few of my suggested notebooks on Amazon. Each day, write out your three categories for your daily to-do list.
- Today’s Priority
- Today’s Goals
- Today’s Schedule
Here is where you can also plan out things like when to start prepping for dinner, making calls to family members or even going for a walk. I would also suggest that each Sunday evening, you write out that week’s tasks and prioritize them in order. Break those down to daily tasks.
Some helpful apps to assist you with managing your day is Google Calendar, To-Do List and The FlyLady.
Take days of rest.
Taking days of rest is so important. I would suggest two days if you can. Self-care is so important. Don’t wait on someone to say, “Job well done”. Just know that on these days you are giving yourself a big pat on the back and by resting and/or pampering yourself, you are saying “Thank you” to the woman you are and are becoming. Always remember that you are no good to anyone if you’re not first good to yourself. Rest.
Don’t know where to start? I would suggest with making a list of the changes you’d like to make and start implementing one to two changes per week. There is no right or wrong way.
