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| "Baseball Player Mowing the Lawn" 1946 by Stevan Dohanos |
Children can give us trouble. Teenagers can drive us crazy. And husbands can sometimes be difficult to bear. Mothers have so much to face each day, that it can be overwhelming. She may want to cower off somewhere and wait for the next "shoe to drop" before she gives up entirely. Or she may even play with the idea of moving out on her own (running away)! When these rough times come, this is when her courage is most needed. This is when her creativity must come into play.
Mother must stand strong and Take Back The Home!
Many horrible things happened to me the last few days. I was devastated by my circumstances and felt powerless to change them. But I finally realized that this is MY home. I am in charge. I am the mistress of this castle and it will be run in a rated G way! (smiles) It is to be a godly home. It is to be a wholesome home. Worldly troubles are not allowed indoors. Rule-breakers will be firmly told not to step over the line, or consequences will keep coming, no matter how weary this mother gets. I decided to take back my home.
First I put on my very favorite Edwardian apron. I wore my prettiest clothes and even a pearl necklace. My mood and my courage require an appropriate uniform to show my authority as the Mother and Housewife of this lovely place.
Next, I turned on my kitchen radio to hear a sermon of my late Uncle, a preacher from rural Alabama. (He passed away in 1995, but many of his sermons had been recorded.) As I listened, I remembered my childhood visits to his country church and the beauty of precious holiness, and godly living. My courage began to soar. I cleaned and made our humble house look lovely.
I set out a game of chess on the parlour table. Teenagers came by and spent hours happily playing together. They were peacefully occupied!
A certain teenager stopped listening to her worldly music. Another began to clean up his messes. The children started to smile and laugh and to, once again, bring joy to our hearts. A grumpy husband cheered up because his wife was suddenly happy again, and devoted to home.
After I spent the morning cleaning and loving my housework, I sat in a parlour chair to rest. Mr. White walked by and smiled at me. He said he was very grateful to have me for his wife.
I had taken back my home.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives -
Cultivating a godly culture - Holiness from the Garage.
One of the most popular posts on this site - No Income and the Basics of Life.
Oh, please bring back suppertime. The family needs it so much. - Suppertime in a rural Home.
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Inspiring post - thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a very sweet compliment from your husband! Those are the things that money can't buy, right there. Good for you for getting things refocused.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and I really needed to hear this after being called some very ugly names by an unhappy teenager who had just been told "No". I AM the mother, and my husband and I ARE the parents, and we will strive to make holy decisions.
ReplyDeleteThanks sooooo much for this post.
Wow you have no idea how much these words mean to me. I have felt so tierd and like no one sees me. Have kept feeling the needs to cut back some outside my home things I do. All "good" things a my church. I Have spent all week praying about it and even juat before I read this post. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Hugs and blessings ~Machele
ReplyDeleteThank you. I always am thrilled to see your blog in my e-mail. You are so open with us and encourage us. Thank you again!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a good weekend and things continue to improve!
ReplyDeleteI will be referring back to this post, Mrs. White! I need this one. My teen offspring have been pushing the limits as of late. I need to sound the alarm and begin my OWN revolution around my castle. (; God bless you today and so glad to see you back in blogland.
ReplyDeletei needed this. i have been crying and hiding in my rocker a lot. feeling sorry for myself again. wishing i was well and could do all the things healthy moms do and also just giving up on correcting. the worldly music and cartoons have taken over my home but you have reminded me who's home this is and who trusts me with it.
ReplyDeletethank you
Been there! Wonderful post! It takes courage to be mistress of the castle! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have had several very hard things happen with my older teen this week, distressing things. I can't believe how often I come here and find you have written something that pierces my heart. Bless you, Mrs. White!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post - thank you so much!
ReplyDeletebudgeteer (Heart for Home-making)
Thank you for sharing. Your faithfulness to your calling comes through your writing loud and clear and is an encouragement to everyone who reads.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of all the boys who are waiting for the one who has to mow. I am the "mean" one who makes my son do the mowing. Great post.
ReplyDeleteas always ... a timely word into my life. new to this "teenager" thing and I have two right behind my oldest. you e\just described very well what I was trying to tell my husband last night about how I feel. I take back my hone often and it will be done again today!!!
ReplyDeleteI love this post!
ReplyDeleteThe home truly is ours to set the tone and I often set a rather stressed one as I run around trying to be all things. This year I'm trying to teach myself to take those moments to sit and just relax a bit, so that mom is exhibiting more joy than stress.
I love your posts.
This is a great post! Thank you!
ReplyDelete