Responsibility and Accountability
The following verse in the Bible addresses the subject of creating order out of chaos. 1 Timothy 5:14, "I desire that the younger [women] ... manage the house." Other versions of the Bible read "guide the house, or preside over a home, or be mistress of the house." Whichever way, the message was clear to the women of Timothy's day.
Furthermore, the why of this statement is clear. Here's the situation Timothy faced: The young widows of Timothy's church were "idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not" (I Timothy 5:13). Their loose, undisciplined behavior led those outside the church to think and speak poorly of Christianity. Obviously, having a home to manage would contribute positively to these women's lives by, at the very least, eliminating the opportunity for these negative behaviors.
To"guide a house" means to be the head of or to rule a family, to guide the home. The one who manages a house is the goodman of the house, the householder. Yet this management has built-in accountability, describing as it does the work of a steward or a servant. The woman who manages her house is not the head of the home (her husband is if she is married, and God is if she is not). Instead, she is the householder, the home manager.
Every day we are called to manage what God has given us, what He has provided through our husbands' efforts and our own. What a blessing it is to us when we serve Him well in this capacity. And what a blessing we are to our family when we properly manage the house.
Yes, But How?
How does a woman who wants what God wants, a woman who wants to know order instead of chaos, a woman after God's own heart, manage her home?
1. Understand that home management is God's best for us.
God isn't asking His women to like being a home manager (although that comes with time as we reap the multitude of blessing that result from better home management). And God isn't asking us to feel like managing our home. He is simply calling us to do it. Home management is His plan, His way. It's His good and acceptable and perfect will for us (Romans 12:2).
2. Decide to take home management seriously.
God uses the management of the home as a training ground for our usefulness in the church. How well you and maintain our personal relationship with God, how devotedly we love our husbands and our children, and how effectively we manage the home indicates how well we would manager a ministry. It's true that what we are at home is what we are!
3. Live as though you will be accountable for the condition of your home and the use of your time ... because you will!
When our husbands (or anyone else) walk in the door and look around the house, we have just revealed what we've been doing in response to God's call to us to manage the home.
Tips for Time Management
- Plan in detail. Have a planner and write everything down in it.
- Deal with today. All God asks of you and me is to handle and manage today, only today.
- Value each minute. Know how long it will take you to complete each task in your home.
- Keep moving. Remember the principle of momentum: "A body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends to remain in motion."
- Develop a routine. Try doing the same thing at the same time each day.
- Exercise and diet. Studies show that exercise increases metabolism, creates energy, causes you to sleep better and produces pleasure hormones that contribute to positive attitudes.
Heart Response
Before we leave the subject of order in the home, let's take a look at the heart of the home -- which is your heart! What is your attitude toward your home and your housework? Is your heart in tune with God's? Are you desiring what He desires for the management and guidance of your home? Ask God to help you move toward better management -- and don't worry: Slowly but surely counts!
0 comments:
Post a Comment