The Importance of Being a "Homekeeper"

I wanted to take a minute and talk about the verse that I chose for my blog. l tried to come up with a verse that meant a lot to me. I thought about it for a few days, and then the other day while I was doing my daily bible study I came across Proverbs 14:1 which I’ll repeat right here: “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” I really feel like this verse encompasses what my purpose is in life and really reveals what my main goal should be. 
As a stay-at-home-mom, I often feel like I am not making a difference. A lot of the jobs that I do are undone in a short while. If I finally get ahead on laundry it won’t be long before more dirty laundry is generated (especially with cloth diapers).  If I get the floors clean it is an invitation for dirt to be tracked in. When I spend a few hours preparing a nice meal (which is fairly rare since I usually go for quick and simple recipes) it is scarfed down within minutes with nothing but full bellies to show for it. Oh, and apparently a clean diaper is a lot more fun to dirty than one that is already wet! So I spend a lot of my time doing, and redoing, the same things. I sometimes feel like I am on a treadmill. Walking and walking, but not getting anywhere. 
It’s at these times that I have to sit back and reflect on what my purpose is in this life. It is easy to get caught up in our daily routines, but what is the main goal of Christians? To get to Heaven and to take as many people as we can with us when we go. It is such a simple goal in theory. That our whole lives boil down to a one sentence goal, but it really is true. In Titus 2:5 it says that women are to be “keepers at home.” Does that mean that God is concerned with whether or not all of my laundry is washed? Or that my floor is sparkling clean? No, it doesn’t. Now I’m not saying that keeping a clean and inviting home is not an important part of the job. Keeping a clean home is essential, and I believe that it is extremely important when it comes to creating a “safe haven” for your family to come home to. But it is just a small part of our jobs as wives and mothers. The inspired writer, Paul, did not say that the women are to be “housekeepers” he said we are to be “keepers at home” or as I like to refer to it “homekeepers.” 
My main goal is to build up my home upon the foundation of Christ. It is more important for my daughter to be taught the word of God, than it is to make sure all of her toys are picked up. It is more important for me to spend quality time with her and cultivate her desire for learning than it is for me to check my facebook notifications. If she sees that I put a clean house, errands, facebook, tv, or whatever else before I do bible study then she will grow up thinking that God is not important. If she is left with this conclusion, then I have ultimately failed as a mother. It is true that when she is grown she will have to make the decision to follow Christ and be a faithful child of God on her own, but I must do everything I can to ensure that we will spend eternity together. 
I said before that sometimes I feel like I am on a treadmill going nowhere, but you know what? Walking on the treadmill still gives results. They might not show as immediate as I would like, but eventually they will show all of the hard work that I have put in. Being a “homekeeper” is the same way, except the rewards of it are much greater in the end. 
         This song came on yesterday evening while I was listening to Pandora, and I felt like the first verse really said what I had been feeling. 

"Do Everything" - Steven Curtis Chapman

Taking Time to Settle in

      This was our first week in our new home. We arrived last Thursday and were greeted by probably more than half of the congregation. They helped us unload the truck very quickly and even stayed to help us put together some of our furniture so we would have somewhere to sleep that night. They stocked our pantry, fridge, and freezer with food. This was especially helpful because the nearest grocery store is 15 minutes away and anything more than that is about 30 minutes. We really had a wonderful welcome. Everyone here is so friendly and always willing to help. It’s not just the church members either, the townspeople are like that as well. It is like stepping back in time and visiting “Mayberry”...except Mayberry was bigger and had more businesses. Ames only has two gas stations and a post office. Speaking of the post office, our mail is not delivered here. We actually have to walk to the post office (which is right around the corner) and pick up our mail. They have a real nice park area that is fairly new. We haven’t had time to really check it out yet, but I am looking forward to doing so. I think Kynslee will really enjoy it. On the Saturday evening after we moved in, they had a soup and chili supper for the community. It was a fundraiser to build a sprinkler park across the street from the park. We were able to meet a lot of people in the community there. That’s another thing about this town, everyone seems to be involved in community events. It is such change coming from Memphis. Not just because of the obvious size difference but because everyone is so courteous and friendly. It is very refreshing. 

Kynslee turned 9 months this week!! I cannot believe it! She will be 1 year old in just a few short months! Where did the time go? She, like the rest of us, is still trying to get adjusted. I really can’t blame her though. All of her surroundings and people that she is used to being around have changed and she doesn’t even understand why. The first few days after we moved into the house she would scream every time me or Don would leave the room. She is also in the process of cutting two more teeth (on the top) so that is adding to her frustration. 

We love the congregation here at Ames. We are really excited about settling in here and getting to know everyone better. The Tuesday after we moved, Don went door knocking down our street just to introduce himself to our neighbors. I was so surprised when he came home and said he had a bible study set up! I am really excited that he was able to get a bible study so  quickly and I am praying that she will see the truth. 

A week after we moved and we have just about gotten unpacked. We have most of the boxes unpacked and even have pictures up on the walls, so it is starting to feel a little more familiar. I’ll be glad when we feel settled and more like this is our home. I truly think that we will really love it here, it is just going to take some time.