Homemaking: Is it still relevant in today’s world?
For hundreds and thousands of years, women before us considered their homes to be not only a place of living, but also their place of work. It was a place which required their full attention, all of their affections, their duty, their priorities, their time and resources, all given to the home and most importantly, for the sake of those inside of it. This is not our reality anymore. Home, in our culture today, is the place we go back to after we spend 8 hours a day working on “more important things.” It often gets our leftovers. So do the people inside of it. We have been fed a lie that told us the real work, the meaningful work, is outside the only place which we are truly irreplaceable and away from the people whom we are meant to mother, nurture, help, and serve. We are living in a time where home has no real purpose. And if we subscribe to this cultural belief that home has no real purpose, it begs the question, why would homemaking be important? And what is “homemaking” anyway? Is homemaking a Biblical principle? What is the fruit of a woman who treats her home as her priority, in todays age?
When most women hear the word “homemaking” they might mistakingly think that it is simply the act of doing household chores. While that is certainly a part of keeping a home, homemaking as a whole is much more. It is both a physical work as well as a heart posture.
In scripture, we see many references to homemaking and how women are to tend to their homes. In Titus 2:3-5 Paul is writing a letter to Titus who is overseeing a body of unhealthy believers being led astray by false teachings and “improper conduct.” Paul writes (personally to Titus but is intended to be read by the church as a whole) to give Godly instruction to the people, teaching them how they should live and encouraging them to live a life that is holy and set apart from the world, which ultimately glorifies Christ. To women he writes, “older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to too much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so to train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, keepers at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Some translations also say home-lovers, homemakers, or working at home. I especially love the last part of that text, “..so that the word of God may not be reviled.” It reminds us that we are instructed to do the work of homemaking for the purpose of bringing Him glory. So that others may look at our home-lives, our marriage, and our children and see Christ. This is the ultimate purpose.
In Proverbs 31, we are given words of wisdom from King Lemuel, who shares what his mother taught him regarding how a Godly and wise woman lives. It is sweet, practical instruction for living according to the wisdom of Proverbs in our homes, our community, our work, and our families. We read that a wise woman manages her household well (31:27) “works willingly with her hands” (31:13) serves her household (31:14-15) takes care of the household needs (31:21.) In 1 Timothy 5:14 Paul encourages young women to “manage their households.” Dear reader, the scriptures are not silent on this topic. And though there is more to be discussed on how we are to live this out practically, which I plan to delve into in future writings, there is no denying that a Christian woman is to prioritize her home!
“The Homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only, and that is to support the ultimate career. What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, etc exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world.”
C.S. Lewis
Even still, you might ask, what does being a homemaker look like in our highly-modernized age? We must acknowledge that what it took for a woman to keep her home in the 1800’s, or even more recently in the early to mid-1900’s is very different than what it looks like today. The wife and mother of the 1800’s had no other option than to work at home, because her family simply wouldn’t survive if she didn’t. She had to grow her own food and preserve her own food so that her family could eat and each meal had to be cooked from scratch, over fire. If her family was to be clothed, she had to sew it. Everything was hand-sewn, hand-washed, and hung-dry. She kept the candle burning at home, and it was more than full-time work. Not only was it laborsome, time-consuming work but it was fulfilling and important work. She knew her work mattered.
Fast forward to the 1950’s and home-technology begins to emerge. What once took a woman hours to clean her floors, now with a vacuum cleaner, takes her 10 minutes! Why cook from scratch when you could pop a frozen dinner in a microwave? How convenient! Why wash your own dishes when there is a machine that can do it for you? The 1950’s housewife quickly succumbed to boredom. With machines accomplishing for her what she used to do, what was her purpose at home? Was she really made to be purely decorative? Was she made to sit around the house, with nothing to do, while her husband was at work? Often, this is the picture many women have in their minds when they hear the words “stay-at-home wife/mother” or “homemaker.” As a reminder, this is not the biblical design.
And now, here we are. It is the year of 2024 and we have highly-advanced technology for everything. Even things we don't really need them for. We are so used to convenience that we can’t imagine doing things that take time. We have no real skills because we don’t need to learn them, machines do them for us or someone else does them for us. More women have left their homes than we can number. We are bone-tired and weary from our modern day work but not in a soul-satisfying away - it is often an emptiness we feel. And so, with a clearer and biblical understanding of what homemaking is, a brief history of where we’ve come from and current look at where we are, I return to the question: why would it be relevant for today?
I would argue that Homemaking, although less challenging than it may have been years ago, has not outgrown its practicality. Though our survival isn’t at stake, our basic needs remain. We still need food every day, at least three times a day, and nourishing food at that. We need warm, clean clothes. We need shelter and safety and rest, we need others. Can you think of a place which houses all of these things more than our very own home?
But with practicality aside, the fruitfulness of Homemaking in not only a woman’s spirit but also for her children, her husband, and her community is invaluable - in any generation. In my recent blog post, Home Sanctity, I do go deeper into how the work of a homemaker can help us in our sanctification - making us more like Christ. I would recommend that read if you are curious as to how this work might be beneficial to our spirits! Even more than our sanctification is the sweet, pure joy and blessing we recieve out of walking in obedience, and seeing your work directly benefit those in your home. It’s the feeling of stocking your pantry and knowing your family is prepared in the event of an unprecedented event - because you thoughtfully planned! It’s a clean kitchen at the end of the day, creating a peaceful atmosphere for all. It’s clean laundry in drawers and closets, making for a quiet and easy morning and a sense of being taken care of. The satisfaction can’t be measured! And the blessing doesn’t cease at the door, it spills out into the community, its impact reaches further than we can grasp. It is a “candle in the window” for a world that is dark and God-less.
There is more to be said on how this important work impacts our families and our community, but for now I leave you with a favorite quote of mine from the book Homemaking by J.R. Miller - a must read! I hope this writing was an encouragement to you, and I do thank you for reading. Talk soon!
“ A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the worlds perils and alarms. It is a resting place to which the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, and where character is molded. Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing as the making of a beautiful and happy home! He who does this builds a sanctuary for God and opens a fountain of blessing for men.” - J.R. Miller, Homemaking
