Homemaking is one of the biggest gifts we’ve been given to offer to our family. Seek to find joy in the simple things and you’ll find fulfillment in your everyday life. When you cultivate your home, you cultivate hearts.
Homemaking is one of the ultimate ways a wife and mom can give and serve her family. I have been homemaking for 21 years and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way. One of them is to not take this gift for granted. It is more than just a role — it’s giving of yourself in the most nurturing and practical ways possible….every day.
Homemaking is not dead. Far from it. It can be highly fulfilling when we have the right mindset.
Cultivating a home is a timeless craft we will continuously need to refine to live in a peaceful, welcoming, and comfortable space where the Spirit of God is invited and our souls nurtured.
“Home is the place where the whispers of God’s love are heard regularly.”
-Sally Clarkson, The LifeGiving Home
It has evolved over the centuries and decades and we are resilient people who have learned to adapt. There are different needs and challenges than there were even 25 years ago.
This is why homemaking is even more crucial and complicated and the need for consistency is even more imperative now. Yet, there is so much joy to be had in making a house a home when you stay focused on the basic and more profound needs of your family.
It isn’t just cleaning and cooking and de-cluttering that make a house peaceful and inviting. It’s making time and space to usher in the presence of God. It’s inviting Him into your space in a dozen different ways.
Cultivating a home created for God’s spirit to dwell isn’t just about what we do but how we do it.
Are we waking up each morning and seeing the possibilities and opportunities all around us or are we waking up each morning with dread, regret, and grumbling about the never-ending to do list? I have been the latter more times than I want to admit.
Joy cannot be cultivated in a home where the mother is constantly grumpy, stressed, and overwhelmed. I speak from experience. When you tire of living that way, you get intentional to make some changes.
Rediscover Homemaking
If you’re a mom raising teens, no doubt the climate and schedule of your home has changed since they were elementary-aged. One thing that I’ve learned [the hard way] is that I needed to adapt to the changing transitions and seasons. I couldn’t keep doing things the way I did when they were younger. As they grow and mature, our homemaking and home atmosphere also need to shift.
Rather than trying to fight a losing battle by doing things the way we’ve always done them, we need to discover new ways that work for our family. Having chore charts was no longer serving my teens. With their schedules so erratic, doing daily chores at the same time each day was a battle I was losing. I needed to be more flexible and offer more reminders.
Appreciate the Everyday
Sometimes you don’t realize how much to appreciate the mundane until tragedy strikes. Being intentional about embracing the life you get to wake up to every day helps you learn to appreciate it. If there are things you don’t love, what is within your power to change?
Maybe there’s too much clutter, making it hard for you to focus. Maybe a cleaning routine needs to be put into place for more consistent tidiness. Perhaps you have a great system already going but it’s boring and you wish there was more excitement. (Or is that just me?)
Consistency is what helps keep a household running smoothly—not just practically, but emotionally and mentally as well. When you keep Jesus in the center and have regular time in the Word and pray continually, you bring His presence in allowing for a spiritual haven also. Contentment brings joy into your homemaking.
The Art of Slow Living
If you find yourself constantly on the run, driving from activity to activity without allowing much breathing room, it might be time to pull back. If it’s overwhelming and you find yourself rushing a lot, consistently pushing things off, or leaving tasks undone because you aren’t home, reevaluating the busyness may be in order.
Hurry always empties a soul.
-Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
Extracurricular activities are good until they take over the important aspects of your family life — such as dinner time. The fast-paced life doesn’t have to be “normal”. What’s common isn’t the same as what’s crucial. Let go of what’s not serving your family so you can live slow and soak in what God has for you and your family. Togetherness.
The Heart Behind Homemade
I home-make many of my meals—not all, but many. One of them is Chicken Pot Pie. This dish is a favorite among my family and it is a true labor of love. It takes 4-5 hours to make. I don’t make it often because of this. But I make it because my family loves it and they know the sacrifice and heart that goes into making it.
When we take the time to craft homemade meals and decorate to bring peace, it truly comes from the heart. Our children or teenagers may not realize or appreciate it at the time. But they will one day look back and recognize the heart you poured into making your house a home for them in the little things that won’t feel so little to them as they become adults. These are seeds you’re planting now. They take time to grow. Putting your heart into your home is vital for a house to be made a home.
Cultivate Gratitude
The surest way to find joy in your every day is to cultivate and practice gratitude. I write in my gratitude journal nearly every morning. I use Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare cards to give me guidance.
Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His grace. -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
When we slow our pace and take the time to observe the gifts around us, we realize how much we truly have. Being able to make a house a home is a gift, a privilege, and a sacrifice. A gift given from all the gifts we’re given.
Homemaking isn’t determined by what society thinks it should be. It’s determined by the values we have based on Scripture and those we want to pass down to our children. Homemaking is an act of service to our families. It’s not an oppressive role meant to keep women down. That kind of talk can only come from lips that are self-focused.
A Note for the Single Mom
I want to add, that if you’re a single mom, you are doubly challenged and you don’t go unseen. Teach your children as soon as they’re able to help out. While all families benefit from teaching their children to work, clean up after themselves, and serve one another, how much more is it needed for a mom who shoulders so much responsibility? Do whatever you can to keep things as simple as possible. You can build a joy-filled life as a homemaker, even if you’re working. Homemakers aren’t exclusive to stay-at-home moms. We ALL need to make our homes. Even if we aren’t there 24/7.
Joyfully His,
Christin
