God Ordained Homemaking For You
Young women are made to feel that being a homemaker is not enough. They need to be involved in the church ministry. They need to find some way to make money since their worth seems to be tied to a paycheck. They need to be on the go. They need to be anywhere but home.
God has ordained homemaking for you, women. It’s right where God wants you to be!
“He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 113:9).
“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1 Timothy 5:14).
Young women are to be “keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:5).
“The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (Proverbs 14:1).
“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27).
When I was growing up, there was a friend of mine who lived down the street. All of the windows in her home were covered with dark curtains. In order to be in her home, we had to turn the lights on since it was so dark. My friend’s parents were rarely home since both of her parents worked. It was a cold and dark house. I can’t remember my mom or dad ever closing a curtain or shutter. Every single window in our home was uncovered! My parents even slept with their windows uncovered.
My mom loved being home and making a home for our family. I don’t ever remember her being fearful about anything. She lived a life of faith rather than fear. All of our friends loved coming to our home because my mom was there. It was a sunny, warm, and loving home. She loved to feed people and everyone felt loved by her. She was the queen of hospitality!
In college, I lived in a dorm room. I craved and missed a home. On many weekends, my friends and I would go to one of our homes. All of our mothers were full-time homemakers. We would love being in a home. We were fed good food and felt the warmth and love that only a loving mother can provide in a home.
God has ordained homemaking for you, women. Look at all of the verses above. There isn’t one verse in the Bible that ordains women to leave their homes every day for the workforce, their children in the care of others, and work for strangers and a paycheck. God wants you joyfully working for your family. He wants you to work hard and cheerfully at home. He wants you to be thankful for whatever home that you have, the food that you have to eat, the clothes you have to wear, and the husband and children He has blessed you with. This is your God-ordained ministry!
As your children get older and you have more time, you can begin ministering to people in your church by bringing them meals, comforting and helping the elderly, and showing hospitality to others. This will be an example to your children of being living sacrifices as the Lord has called us to do (Romans 12:1). Women at home provide many incredible services and help to those around them. When all of the homes stand empty all day long, people suffer.
Never allow anyone to devalue your work in your home, women. If God has ordained this for you, no one should be able to ever discourage you! Find your worth and value in Him and in His will for you. He is good and His plan for you is good. If home is where the heart is, this is the best place in the world to be!
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.
Colossians 3:23
28 thoughts on “God Ordained Homemaking For You”
At the beginning of my marriage, both my husband and I worked full time. Thankfully I no longer do, but even when I did I made sure to attend to all the household duties myself! I would do the cooking, cleaning, ironing etc after getting home. It was definitely tiring but I believe we women were created as helpmeets, so it felt only natural. To this day, I refuse any offers by my husband to help with my chores, and our marriage is better than ever!
Your husband must be one happy man, Ellie! As you serve your husband, you are serving Christ.
Lori, this is a great encouragement to all of the full- time housewives and mothers. Thanks for validating the work we do in our homes and families.
It’s sad people don’t see homemaking as actual work. My friends have implied that because my mom doesn’t have a job she doesn’t do anything. Being a keeper of the home is what women have done for centuries and it’s very ironic that feminists who claim to stand for equality don’t see it as valid work and only support you when you deny motherhood and steamroll your way into the workforce, taking jobs away from men who are trying to support their family.
PS. I love the surprise weekend post! Since finding this blog in August this is the first Saturday post I’ve seen
Thank you, Marie! I rarely write up a new post on the weekends. I take a break but I woke up early this morning and had this one on my mind so I went down and wrote it out! Since few others are encouraging women in staying home, I want to do it as often as possible!
My wife appreciated this so much that she shared it on Facebook. I concur. It is a very well written article. I love the encouragement you have given her.
Hi Lori, I have a question for you as a new wife and mother (3years). I’ve been telling my husband that I feel this strong feeling that my only focus is living biblically and the family we are creating. Currently, it is my husband, our son, and we have another on the way. I’m elated to expand our family. My parents are divorced, which my oldest sister who is 31 suffers trauma from (she has been diagnosed with bipolar), my brother really struggles with lust for women due to my mom’s absence after the divorce (it’s so bad that he just jumps from woman to woman) and I have a younger sister who my mother had after the divorce. My dad is remarried, she’s the step mom from the movies and she’s very dismissive towards us. I have a step sister that is my age and her son has autism so my dad really struggles showing love to our son because he doesn’t want to upset my step mom. I still love my parents, but I want no part of what occurred in my childhood and the trauma of divorce left me desiring to have a family of my own. I did get into an abusive relationship in my early 20’s that almost killed me I believe my desire for my own family led me to rush into things too soon. I was raised with Christ and lots of therapy, and by the grace of God I am still alive. Saving ourselves for marriage is what my father instilled in us, but as soon as a family separates the enemy can easily get in.
In my heart I know if our marriage is to be successful we must pretty much block out the family we were born into (my husband’s mother is deceased and father recovering alcoholic) and genuinely focus on living as the Bible says. I am a full time homemaker, and I can say 100% I feel so blessed and grateful. I LOVE being home and I just feel so grateful.
The question is: as wives living for Christ should we try to balance outside family life and external friends or simply focus on cleaving to our families we are building for God’s Kingdom to limit distractions? Thank you for any guidance
Hi Amy,
I think you need to be with your outside family a little bit in order to show them how living for the Lord looks like. They all need Jesus. They need to see how beautiful His ways are. No, you don’t need to spend much time with them and your children should stay near you but just for an hour or two on holidays. If we are called to love our enemies, you are called to continue to love your messed up family. Be kind and loving to them. Show them Jesus. But thankfully, you are beginning a new and godly generation!
When does the command to honor our parents equate to a couple hours spent together several times a year? I realize we leave our mother and father when we cleave to our husband, but what does the Bible say about our responsibility to our parents when we become adults, get married, and leave home? I was raised in a family that modeled this beautifully, and it was challenging at times, especially when my grandparents became ill and needed cared for. We just lost my husband’s mother this past year, and it was an honor to share in the care for her in the final weeks of her life.
Amy, I had the same ideas about my sole focus being on my husband and children when we started our family 17 years ago, and while they are my primary responsibility, we believe it is also important to invest in the lives of our living parents and extended family members. Believe me, life would be much easier if we could just live in a bubble in our homes, but we take seriously the mandate to love others in John 13:34. It will look different in every extended family, based on the needs, but I would encourage you to pray and earnestly seek the Lord, asking Him to reveal to you how your family can serve your parents, siblings, and extended family. Your care should never take priority over your role of wife and mother to the family God has blessed you with, though.
Lori,
Your website gives the men and women of God so much hope. It’s the only place I’ve found whether in reality or online that instills biblical womanhood. Have you ever thought of being a matchmaker or a way to give the people who agree with biblical womanhood a way to connect as a means of finding a marriage partner? I believe it would greatly glorify the Lord and help future generations.
Thank you,
Adam
Thank you for encouraging women to learn contentment and peace at home. There’s no where I’d rather be! I am blessed to have a hard working husband who loves me and takes care of us. I thank God for that gift daily, and I work at being loving and obedient. Your advice has made me a better wife! Who we marry is such an important decision!
Thank you, Adam, and I have thought about it but I am sure there would just be too many trolls whose plan would be to disrupt and destroy it.
Thank you both very much. I got a bit emotional reading this because you both are right and I love the family I was born into very dearly I just know I do not want to repeat that cycle. What you are telling me is how the Bible instructs and that is what I will do. It’s a sadness there, but it’s also this overwhelming sense of gratefulness because God never left me nor forsake me. My husband is the FIRST in his family to believe in Christ and stand on his word. He’s the FIRST for many things: college, military, marriage, and that is not what makes me serve him but it is such a true honor. Thank you @T, I dearly appreciate your input and I receive your words and read John 13:34.
Lori, your blog has transformed my life. I pray for your continued strength and blessings over your lovely family. We NEED women as yourself to speak the truth because this mom “self-care” movement is so self-indulgent and sinful (I saw a mom leave her children for 3-weeks and she claimed she had to do it in order to find herself again)…thank you for convicting my spirit about how to balance the care of our extended family and reminding me that our children need to stay right near us.
P.S. I remember as kids my parents marriage was very strong, and my mother stayed home with us. She then began teaching and gradually there was this strain. I believe feminism ruined a lot of marriages because it was targeted at the wife/mother trying to convince her she was not enough and to pursue her own aspirations…at the expense of so many families. I am proud so many younger wives are not following the lie.
There’s a lot of wisdom in this comment, Amy. I love teaching women who have tender hearts to the Truth of God’s Word. Thank you and may the Lord give you wisdom with your family.
I second Adam’s suggestion, but I also understand Lori’s response. Thanks, Lori for this blog. It is phenomenal. I so appreciate your wisdom. I also very much appreciate the comments of others, both male and female. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Hi Lori, I agree with JC – thank you so much for always being encouraging and supportive to us. I know I say this over and over but women need to be at home, period. My youngest turned 21 this year and all three of my kids are no longer in the home, but my place is still at home, every day, taking care of our household and being totally obedient to and lovingly serving my husband in EVERYTHING. I was 27 when my youngest started school and for the past 16 years people have asked me (as well as my husband and my parents) if I ever plan to work, go to school or do volunteer work of some kind. the answer is always “No, never – I want to be at home.”
I will admit now that my children are grown and on their own I do have quite a bit more time on my hands, and often times my mom and I travel with my husband and my dad when their business takes them out of town. But most of the time once the house is cleaned and the meals for the day are prepared, I take some time to curl up on the couch and read or take a nap, or a nice bubble bath, then prepare for supper to be ready when my husband gets home! I have always felt very peaceful, content, loved and protected at home where I belong. I just hate it when women aren’t able to feel that being home and living out God’s ordained plan for us to be housewives/homemakers is “good enough!”
Your life sounds lovely, Summer. I love still being able to be home full time in my 60s. It’s a blessing!
You sound like a thoughtful wife and mother, Amy-the kind of woman I pray my daughters grow up to be like.
I can’t imagine being away from my kids for 3 weeks! I accompanied my oldest daughter for a 24-hour time span for an extra-curricular commitment a couple weeks ago, and her younger sisters were glad when I returned home.
My children are not homeschooled, but I know it provides comfort that I’m home all day, completing housework, waiting for their return. I tried working part-time on their schedule, but I felt divided emotionally. I just thanked my husband today for allowing me to be home full-time. Once 3:00 rolls around, it’s go time around here, lol! Talking about their day, homework, dinner prep., extracurriculars, etc., but what I enjoy most is hearing them together, talking & laughing, our youngest playing together.
Best wishes as you serve your growing family, Amy!
Wow isn’t God good lol sweet life :). Did you struggling with the submission/obeying aspect of marriage early on, seems like most wives (because of the curse) do just curious how fast did you “break” the curse per se.
Thank you Lori! I feel I am truly blessed being able to spend my life at home, although not without it’s problems. We have struggled with issues with our boys and I had some depression issues when I was not able to have more children. I try to be positive in my blog responses as we as stay at home wives/moms need to support each other! You are truly a warrior for us, you have so much courage to stand up for what’s right.
Being a wife and a mother is definitely a full time job . I was blessed with being able to stay home with our daughter until she started kindergarten. I enjoyed every moment of it . But I felt a calling to do something more with my life . I started a career that I love and now I do both . It’s difficult to juggle both but with Gods guidance it is absolutely possible . The work of a stay at home mother is a beautiful thing but please do not put down on mothers and wives who are called to a different path . Just because it isn’t what God called you to do personally doesn’t mean he doesn’t call others to . God has a plan for each of us and it’s only his judgement that matters .
God’s plan is for women to be keepers at home so they don’t blaspheme the word of God, Emily. If you have a problem with this, you have a problem with God, not me.
Staying at home with kids all day sounds like the worst nightmare of my life. Not going to happen for me!
However, a woman should never ever ever ever ever feel ashamed for doing this. It’s the hardest yet most rewarding job (I am not a mother). It’s 100 times harder than any office job.
Then since you know this truth, Ursula, why would you choose to not do the most rewarding job on this planet?
I remember as a kid, my mom and step dad worked full time and my sister and I were the last ones in school to be picked up from school. We’d be there a full day and wouldn’t be picked up until 6 pm. It was so lonely and we wouldn’t get back to our lovely home until it was dark outside. I refuse to make my children go through that same thing, now my mom works 2 jobs and I don’t think we’ll ever be that close. Hopefully I’ll be able to be a homemaker one day but it’s hard because I know how inflation affects everything.
That’s true Emily, everyone has a different calling. As for circumstances, God understands that we can’t all be stay at home moms. There are widows and those who live in poverty and have to work. I would personally love to be a stay at home mom. But at this moment it’s not possible 🙂
Last year I read “The Way Home” and “All the Way Home” by Mary Pride. Such great, inspiring resources. Do you have any other books on homemaking and biblical womanhood that you would recommend?
I have a category on my Instagram stories for all of the good books I have read!