Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Sanctuary of Home

Undressing the Baby, 1880

There will always be storms brewing out in the world, for Mothers to silently fight.  There will be lurkers, with ulterior motives, trying to lure the residents away from a godly home.  There will be temptations of events to keep mother so distracted and busy that she doesn't remember how to keep home a quiet place of rest.

 - Mothers must learn to make home a sanctuary. -

Today, the sporadic holiday traffic out front is bringing sudden and alarming noises.   I have a baby here who needs his morning rest.  I closed the blinds to keep out the heat of the sun.  I closed the front windows to stop the traffic sounds.  Then I opened the back windows so we can hear the soothing sound of the rushing water of the back river.  Baby will sleep soundly at our quiet Estate.

Sometimes we have to shoo out certain people from rooms in our house, in order that we may keep a gentle home running.  We may even send loud children outdoors to play. It is good for them, and good for us.  Mothers often send guests home when the hour is getting late.  The home must have order, and the residents must have their wholesome rest.

Bible time and prayer - hour should be sacred events, that occur at regular times.  When Mother is delighted and peaceful and rested, the family will happily follow her in the parlour for the time of worship.  It will be almost as awe-inspiring and precious as reading a beautiful bedtime story.  The short time of devotion is a time of reverence and holiness.  It is a discipline in consistency and a lesson in serving the Lord.

When family and guests enter Mother's sanctuary (of a godly home), they should immediately sense her joy and warm welcome.  The residents know Mother works hard to make home a pleasant and happy place. 

Is this ideal place worth fighting for?  Is it worth shutting out the world at regular times so the family can enjoy a respite, taking refreshment and rest they dearly need? 

When they leave Mother's well - tended sanctuary, will their hearts yearn to be back soon?  Will they get homesick for that loving place? 

Babies and small children need rest and order and the routine of a home nursery.  In this fast paced world of overindulging in everything, wouldn't it be worthy if more Mothers created this same type of nursery at home for all who enter?



Blessings
Mrs. White




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4 comments:

Blessed Homemaking said...

Such a beautiful, encouraging post. It reminds me to make home a sanctuary, to not be always bustling about, to stay home, which it seems I am unfortunately not able to do as much as I want to lately. God bless you, Mrs. White.

Anonymous said...

Posting this on my fridge. :D

Anonymous said...

Oh, this post is lovely! What struck me especially were your words: "There will be lurkers, with ulterior motives, trying to lure the residents away from a godly home. There will be temptations of events to keep mother so distracted and busy that she doesn't remember how to keep home a quiet place of rest." Oh, how true this is! It is also a gentle reminder to reassess my home life, and with a start I see that events are piling up and pulling us all apart. I will be gently "herding" my flock back toward home in the coming weeks and months. Thank you for this timely advice, Mrs. White, and may you continue to enjoy the lovely holiday weekend with your loved ones.
God Bless you,
Mrs. Skutt

Cathy said...

Yes it truly is the woman of the house who creates the comforting refuge of home. What an important vocation. Loving and serving in our homes is such a great privilege.