Written by John Moody on Facebook

Younger woman: “Hey Miss Anne, I was wondering, I really want to grow as a wife and mom and better serve the Lord in my home and with my husband and children. Can you help me?”

Older woman: “That is great. Honestly, Emily, every time I see you it makes me so happy. You are such a wonderful young wife and mom, and I see you really care about your husband and children. Can you share with me what is going well in your marriage and home, and what isn’t? I know we only have a few minutes. Oh, and not for or about your husband, by the way, but what are you doing well,  and what are you doing poorly or struggling with?”

YW: “Well, at times I am unsure how to honor my husband, and the home has not running very orderly. Its been so stressful, especially when he gets home from work. I have really been struggling with…”

OW: “Oh, dearie, many of us have been there. I take it you are pretty worn out after a day with the children and maybe short-tempered? Have you trained them to take a quiet time in the afternoon, or… “

YM: “I never heard of any of these ideas. Thank you! They are so helpful. I just never imaged how hard having so many littles would be.”

OW: “Oh, yes, that is a challenging stage. Especially when your family is far away or isn’t supportive. Do you know Paul and Sharon? They are great at helping young couples with nighttime and evening routines and helping kids sleep better, and they love having young couples over (sees signs of stress) or coming to your house. No, they won’t care if your place is messy. They had eight children and have seen it all. Trust me, dear! They will bring dinner with them for you all. I will let them know, and I bet by tomorrow they will have reached out to find a day that works best for your family.”

YW: “Oh, that is such good news but I am already really badly behind on the cleaning and laundry and cooking, and we just started homeschool with our oldest. The house is honestly an absolute wreck. I just don’t know if we could have anyone over at the moment, and Tim is working extra long hours to help pay off a few medical bills from the last baby when that nasty sickness had us have to make extra trips to the doctor.”

OW: “Why don’t I come over Thursday morning. I have a few hours free, and I bet my daughter and her daughter would love to come along as well. We can all chat while we help get the house caught up, and the children play for a little bit! And that way, I can see changes that might help with how you are organizing and running the house and training the children. A lot of young moms just don’t realize how much their children can do, so perhaps I can show you how to start training them to be a help to you.”

YW: “Oh, that would be great. I honestly didn’t have the best examples growing up. I really don’t know how to do a lot of these things the Bible talks about.”

OW: “And if you all have a lot of bills right now, you should suggest to your husband to let one of the deacons know. This is exactly who and what they want some of the churches giving to go to help. Last month, they helped another young family in the church who had issues with their old cars. A few men went and took care of most of the repairs but one needed a mechanic, so the deacons loaned the family a car while they took the vehicle to someone they trust and work with and got it all taken care of. I will have my husband mention to deacon Steve that he should also reach out to your husband. The deacons have a schedule of families they check on each month to ensure no needs are going unmet.”

YW: “Wow, I don’t know what to say! ”

OW: – gives a big hug – “Its been lovely chatting, dear. You and your husband are doing a great job, and we see it. I look forward to seeing you Thursday. I will also bring lunch for everyone so you don’t need to worry about that. Just text me any food allergies or issues you all may have, and any foods your children like or dislike. I see my husband and want to go thank him for a number of things he did this week. That is a small way you can consistently honor him, especially in front of others. I will text you a few other ideas and we can talk about it more soon. ”

YW: “Tha…tha… thank you so much, Miss Anne!”

Me: Think how much stronger marriages and families would be if this was taking place in every single biblical church…

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.
Titus 2:3-5

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