A Bookish Sarah

encouragement & bookish things

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Sarah
Welcome, friend! Relax & rest awhile, if you please. I'm an ordinary girl, a follower of Christ, mama to Gabriel, Heidi, & Aidan; and wife to Evan. Here in this little space of the online world, I share all manner of bookish things, including full content reviews, writerly snippets, encouragement for everyday life, and a whole collection of names & their meanings.

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Encouragement

Be ENCOURAGED // A Heart for Home

Happy Wednesday, y'all!


Teach what accords with sound doctrine.  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.  Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands & children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.  . . . so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
- Titus 2:1-5, 10 (emphasis added) -

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Wow.  We are touching on some AMAZING topics in these posts.  As I'm still drawing said topics from the book study I'm taking part in, this week's chapter is, "Taste of Heaven: Cultivating a Heart for Home." {Adorned, by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth}

> > > Home seems to be an extremely difficult subject to bring up among nearly all women these days.  I believe it's due to the fact they feel they must defend their decisions to work outside the home, while those who do not (and are classified as the stay-at-home-wives/mothers) are degraded for their decision to remain and work in/from the home.

In short, regardless of their station in life, the world judges them.
And unfortunately, we let them.

There is no right or wrong here, please understand!  In this Scripture, Paul never condemns or demands that women work only in the home, nor does he say they are solely responsible for the work that is necessary for a comfortable home & family.  He does not condemn women for seeking positions outside the home, nor does he imply they have no place in public jobs, churches, communities, or culture.

So what does Paul say in this passage, and how is it to be applied in our lives today?

I believe it means we are to work.  To keep busy (but not overly!).  To refrain from idleness.  To be diligent in our time & talents.  And to be intentional.

It all comes down to this:  it's a matter of PRIORITY.

What matters---particularly for married women & moms---is not what a woman's home looks like or what she does there, but whether she is giving it the appropriate priority.  Is she fulfuling her God-given calling in her home & in the lives of her husband & children?  Is she giving them more than just the leftovers of her time & attention?  Is she investing her heart & best efforts in these priceless lives?  Is she being diligent, productive, and intentional in the care & oversight of her home and in meeting her family's needs?
- Adorned (p. 215-216)

While this may apply more so to married women & mothers, no girl or young lady should pass up this learning experience.  There's no better time than the present to gather knowledge for the future!

Having said that, there is no wrong in any woman working outside of her home, be that to earn a little extra income, or simply to occupy her time by using a natural talent she's been given.  However, if that position causes her to neglect her family, and yes, her home, then something needs to change.  No job, or extra bit of money---however much or little---will ever be worth the priceless value God places on the family & the eternal benefits that come from it.



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The "excellent wife" described in Proverbs 31 is perhaps the best known biblical example of a woman creating such a taste of heaven in her home.  And she's pretty impressive---rising before dawn to provide food for her household, equipping her husband & children with what they need, modeling diligence & good planning. . . In summary, "she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness (Pro. 31:27).
This woman is servant-hearted and conscientiously cares for the practical needs of her family & home.  It doesn't hurt---it helps---that she is also financially savvy & has a good business head on her shoulders.  And when all is said & done, her life shines a spotlight on the God she fears & loves.
- Adorned (p. 224) -

Wow.  Wouldn't it be lovely to have that said of you?

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Be ENCOURAGED, beloved!
No matter our lives or current circumstances, we are not alone in our struggles.  What a relief it is to know that, right?

You may not have enjoyed the love of a Christian home and its supportive family as I did.  You may have endured a very broken, and very demanding one with absent parents & chronically argumentative siblings.  Just know, the home is what you make it to be.

In our day & age, I believe this topic (and its application!) to be of the utmost importance.  God gives us the blessings of family, and where else but the home are we to cultivate the precious hearts & souls for His kingdom?  There's no better mission field than the one right before your eyes.

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Talk to me, dear one!  The home has always been a subject close to my heart---possibly because I'm a natural homebody. . . :D  But more so now because every day its value diminishes.  Just as we need to take back the promise God gave His people in regards to His symbol of the rainbow, we also need to take back the HOME.

Comments

  1. These posts just fill my soul. Every single one of them! <3 And this is SUCH an important topic. A happy home is truly the foundation for a solid family, and it absolutely breaks my heart how these days women are SHAMED for pouring themselves into their home. I LOVE the thoughts here of how home should always be the priority, especially for the wife. That is so, so true, and a concept that people don't seem to grasp anymore. Home SHOULD be a sanctuary from this dark world. And it should be a JOY to make home happy, not something we hate or shame each other for.

    Thank you for sharing this! This is not talked about nearly enough, but it should be!

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    1. Thank you, dear girl! It truly is the best foundation for a family, and we are seeing it less & less in our culture today. Ditto on your words!

      My pleasure! *^ - ^*

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  2. Yet another important topic and beautiful encouragement. <3 Our homes & families may never be perfect this side of heaven. But our home can and should be a sanctuary of light to our families and those lost souls around us who we can minister to in Christ. I recently heard a testimony about the power of Christian hospitality and how we can reflect God's love to others through the atmosphere of our home. God certainly prioritizes the home in His word and therefore so should we! I know it is an encouragement to me seeing the love & care between you & your family. <3

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    Replies
    1. Yes! I certainly couldn't say it any better. And the "power of Christian hospitality" is something that is seriously missing in God's people nowadays. And something I truly wish to do more of! Awww, you are so sweet! That's my desire, is to be a light & encouragement to other families. *^ - ^*

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To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, and a book of rules,
And each must make, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
-Anonymous-

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