A New Focus for My Home

While on our road trip, which will be blogged about later, I was able to attend the Illinois Christian Home Educator's Annual Conference. I heard some wonderful speakers and affirmed our decisions about homeschooling.

In that process, however, it was made very aware of my role as wife, mother and teacher. How each thing done in my home will be passed onto the next generation. On the flip side of that, how each thing I learned growing up, plays into my being.

I had a great mom who always did things for others, we always had people over to our home, we always helped when there was a need. She started slowing down when I was 13 or 14 due to emphyzema. As a result my sister and I were handed much of the domestic work at home - cooking, cleaning, laundry, food shopping and such. I was never really taught but more expected to figure those things out. I realized how that manifests itself in the ministry of my home. I am not cheerful when it comes to homemaking, I struggle with clean up and organization but am a fairly decent cook. Certain tasks are always a chore instead of done with a joy and an understanding of how it serves my family. I know others too who share similar struggles, when they grew up their responsibility was school and school work and as long as that got done that was their "job." They did not learn many things from a household standpoint but became very academically smart and one friend imparticular really struggled with what some would think of as basics like housecleaning and meals; it took her nearly a year to learn it all but again not without feeling like it was a chore.

The art if discipling our children into their roles for the future so plays into the ministry of our home. If we desire our boys to be hardworking men not just educated men, we must instill that value at home as early as we can. If we desire our son to be diligient in God's word, it must start now. If folks desire their daughters to be keepers of their home in a way that is honoring and pleasing and one that brings delight to the family and to the daugthers, we must our selves be the example and teach the process.

I now need to begin each day with asking God for a renewed vision of a wife, mom, and homeschool teacher allowing that vision to be filled with joy and a heart filled with kindness and compassion; eyes that see the big picture of what we do now matters when our son marries or goes off to college, ears that will be ever listening for God's direction and hearing the needs of my family, hands and feet that will be diligient to work, and a mind that will focus on my home.