Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Working on ME…it’s a long one!

Over the past 2 months I really feel like there has been so many things presented to work on ME. Almost feels like I’ve been having ‘internal surgery’. This all started with my trip to Atlanta. Being ministered to amongst a lot of other things refreshed my relationship with the Lord. I must say that it has been hard at times and it’s easy to forget the stuff that you learn. Sort of like going to camp or on a retreat …God does awesome things but the real test comes when you go home and live your life.


The week before I went to ATL I started a Bible study at my church called ‘A Woman After God’s Own Heart’ by Elizabeth George. To be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard that the homework was going to be A LOT of scripture look up etc. IT IS! It’s a good thing though :0). Anyway, each week has a different topic…the ones that have made the most impact on me are ‘A Heart for your Husband’ and ‘A Heart for your Home’. The content in the homework has really made me think and evaluate my daily life. I’m going to touch on the ‘Home’ right now because we just finished the week in that chapter.

I’ll be honest…keeping my home is a CHALLENGE at times for me. I tend to get easily distracted by stuff. Discipline is the word I need to have more of in my life. Am I alone here?! A lot of what I’m jotting down is directly taken from the workbook for this study.

- When a woman after God’s own heart develops a heart for her home, she becomes the heart of her home. Titus 2:3-5 is the verse that we have read A LOT during this study. The command is to be busy at home…seems unnecessary on the surface. Most women are always busy; the need is to be busy doing the RIGHT THINGS.

- Examine your heart. Open your eyes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to things you may not have noticed before. Ask Him to speak to your heart about the needs of your family and how often you address them.

Walk through your home. Walk through each room in your home. If something needs to be picked up or cleaned, take a moment to do so. Pray for each person who occupies or uses that room.

Make a list. Create a list of improvements, repairs or other work needed in each room of your home. After compiling your list, gather the resources you need. Then start to work! This is what a good manager does.

Do some ruthless what-if thinking. For instance, to be a better manager of your home, what could be gained if…

You unplugged the TV on certain days?

You turned off or disconnected all phones at certain hours?

You canceled some subscriptions?

- She really stresses the importance of BEING at home. A woman who is never home can’t really keep her home. Then she asks…

Look at your personal calendar for the previous week and respond to the following questions:

How many meetings did you have?

How many outings or get-togethers did you have?

How many lunches out did you have?

How many appointments did you have?

How many evenings out did you have?

How many days did you shop or run errands?

Sometimes the drudgery and demands of housework tempt us to find any excuse to get out of the house.

In a busy, demanding world, every woman needs to have and maintain a schedule. Having a schedule and doing your best to stick to it will help you achieve God’s purposes, keep your home in good order, and provide you adequate time for the important things in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

- A woman builds a heart for her home by keeping her home a place of rest, joy, and provision. By keeping a schedule that helps us to be home more often and by devoting ourselves to essentials, we can be successful keepers of our homes.

As women/moms we need to be intentional in making our homes a safe place and a haven of peace and so many other things for our families. I am going to work on creating a weekly schedule for maintain my home. Hopefully this blog will keep me accountable to actually DOING THIS and sticking to it!!! Hope you are as encouraged and challenged as I was/am!

3 comments:

Kristine Mullen said...

Just what I needed. God's been working on me in this area. I've been putting off making the schedule. Maybe that'll be my goal for today. Thanks :)

Rebecca said...

Great post I loved that end scripture. I think that I can always improve. This topic has been and is always a life study. I have books on home management from a biblical perspective. I'm glad your time in GA was so purposeful! Great blog b/c I think supporting one another in this venture is equally important. It's a delicate line in keeping the house guest ready, yet happily lived in. Most important making God center of our homes where we as mothers and wives minister most often :-)

Emily Murphy said...

Wow, thanks for sharing that! It's so encouraging and helpful to connect with other women about this stuff. :-) God's been working with me on this, too. I actually kind of enjoy keeping my home now, and equate it to taking care of my family. Nice feeling!