Keeping House

I used to think that "keeping house" meant keeping the house clean, and maybe cooking dinner. I did that pretty well. My heart wasn't in it so much, but I figured as a stay-at-home mom those things were certainly part of what just made sense for me to do. What I didn't know is that God actually laid out the importance of being a keeper of my home in the Bible!

^{Titus 2:3-5}

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

If I am not being a keeper at home, I am actually blaspheming God because He considers the roles of men and women sacred and valuable and I am to uphold my femininity in order to honor the Lord! For me, being a "keeper at home" literally means to be a "caretaker", not just a house-cleaner or cook, but to guard anything and everything that comes in and goes out, to be aware of the atmosphere in my home, to take care that it reflects who we are and what we value as a family. When I began to catch that vision, my excitement level went through the roof! Okay, no, I'm not saying I'm overwhelmed with joy over my home every minute (I am human!) but I often think, "Wow, if God has really given me this great a responsibility, if my investment means this much, well, this is something I absolutely want to do!"

I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a fantastic, although extremely challenging, book called So Much More, by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin and it helped me begin to understand my own purpose as well as what I want to instill in my girls as they grow up. After I read that, I listened to a CD set done by Anna and Elizabeth's mother Victoria Botkin called She Shall Be Called Woman. I highly recommend these resources to any women desiring to further their understanding of Godly womanhood and needing some excitement over it! =)