The Light in a Messy House

LOC: A farmhouse kitchen in Massachusetts, 1925.

Coffee is spilled on the counter and lower cabinets. Towels are on the floor. Personal belongings are all over the dining room chairs.  Scattered toys create a walking hazard. Through this daily mess Mother walks about putting it all to rights. She wipes up the spills as they happen. She cleans the crumbs, neatens the toys, and directs helpers to tidy the rooms. She is the light of cheerfulness who creates happiness and order in a messy home. She is the skilled laborer working in God's fields.

I have been told there are thousand year old vineyards which have been taken care of throughout the generations by skilled workers who are diligent. A preacher once visited one and noticed there was a forest all around the property, but the vineyard was well kept and noticeably different. He said you could see, from a great distance, that the vineyard was separate from the woods. There was a distinct line. You saw beauty in the well kept ground, and you saw wildness in the untamed forest. 

This vineyard can also be like our homes. We are the diligent gardeners who clear the weeds, prune the vines, gather the fruit, and keep up the distinct line that separates our homes from the world.

The weeds and the vines and the pruning are all the things we do when we clean and bake and care for the family. Each day we do this with great skill and love. It eventually becomes a natural habit to the point that we often don't notice all the things we are doing in a day. We bring order and loveliness to our home vineyards. We bring the light of godliness and holiness to our little cottages.

Each time we clean a messy house, each moment we pick up and tend the home, it is a reminder of the world and all the damage sin is constantly causing. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. If the salt and the light are taken out of the home, we will see a piling up mess, which shows neglect. That distinction of the old vineyard and the forest will become marred and tangled up together to the point that the forest will take over the vineyard. We will not let that happen to our homes. 

We housewives are the light of our homes. We spread happiness and sunshine through our cheerfulness and willing work. It is just like we are the lights in this dark, corrupt world. 

The next time you feel like you are cleaning the same messes over and over again, doing the same things over and over again, day after day; month after month; year after year; generation after generation, just remember that it is similar to how we, as God's people, shine a light of holiness amidst the constant mess of a sinful world. You are like the vineyard keeper and are desperately needed to keep that distinction clear. 

Blessings

Mrs. White

*This post can also be found in Mrs. White's book, "Old Fashioned Motherhood."

From the Archives -

A Video of our Home - Tour of our 1850's House. 

Old Fashioned Advice for taking are of the family - - A Comforting Sick Room.

Ration Books from 1942 and helpful advice - Adapting to the High Cost of Living.

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Mrs. White's special book for homemakers: 

 

"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." 

 

Paperback, 200 pages.