Illustration Courtesy of BreezyTulip’s Studio
We have been given our assignment: the wise woman is to build her home (Proverbs 14:1a).
As I mentioned in Part One, this means “nurturing and training our family. Building relationships that will endure and thrive in this chaotic world. Making the Lord Jesus Christ the center of your home.” But how does that look in the day-to-day life?
Well, since each of us are in different stages of life with varying ages and numbers of children it will look different in each home – but the principles in God’s word can be put into action in each of our homes.
Put Jesus Christ at the center of your life and everything you do. If you belong to Christ, you are not your own. Die to selfishness and live for Jesus Christ! This isn’t something that you do once and then have mastered. It is a daily decision, hourly and yes, at times, second by second. Selfishness tears down your house. Dying to yourself builds your home.
Titus 2:2-3 and Ephesians 5:33 talk about us respecting our husbands and showing Christ’s unconditional love. We need to work on this daily. Ladies, if you are having a hard time respecting/loving your husbands then you need to be praying for God’s help and asking Him to not only help you respect/love your husband more, but to reveal to you your character flaws so that you can begin dealing with them. Usually when we are having a hard time respecting/loving our husbands, our own attitudes are pretty rotten and we are not very lovable.
Then decide to respect/love your husband! Put it into action! Your children are watching you and taking notes on how to put that in practice in their own families one day. That should be enough of a motivation right there to get you headed on the right track. You are building your home every time you choose to honor your husband instead of getting frustrated.
Love those children that God has blessed you with. Spend time with your children. Speak words of life to them with kindness (Proverbs 15:1-2, 31:26). Talk to them about life, read great books to them, train them how to work and to be diligent. Not only what you say, but how you say it will reveal your heart attitude toward God and your children. These times of talking with your children can become wonderful times of growth for your children and yourself. With your husband, discipline your children biblically so that they understand right and wrong and what it means to respect authority.
If you find that your children are driving you crazy, then you really need to look at how you are disciplining them. Are you being consistent and teaching them to have a servant’s heart? Again, you need to model a servant’s heart toward every member of your family so that they will see it lived out and want to copy you. Well, they will copy you rather you are doing a good job or not. Again, great motivation!
Let your family see you being joyfully submissive and content. Be quick to ask forgiveness when you fail, and be quick to offer forgiveness when others sin against you.
Putting all these things into practice takes time and diligence. It is not a quick fix. It is a life-style founded on the Scriptures. It is a healthy dose of both stabilizing law and sanctifying love. It is the way to building up your home. It is being a wise woman.
“But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’” —Luke 10:41-42 (NASB)
