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| Our tea roses in the autumn sunlight. |
There are some days that are quieter at home. There may not be any appointments or errands. Company is not expected. The telephone doesn't ring. These are slow days that sometimes make us wonder, "am I doing enough?"
The more difficult question that may lurk in the mind is, "Does my life at home matter?" So often what we do as homemakers is not seen or noticed by anyone. I may sweep the floors, wash the dishes, make the beds, do the laundry, organize paperwork, and so much more, but these are things that don't seem to matter to anyone else. It would be easy to become discouraged if we gave too much thought to the value of our work at home. We must not dwell on such negative thinking. The duties of homemaking are one of the basic foundations for a pleasant home. What we do matters.
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| A view of the leaves, from this week, at our home in Vermont. |
One morning I was not feeling well. Yet there was a restlessness in my heart. I had to get up and do a few things to make the rooms look nice and pleasant. Between several restful breaks, I did little things around the house. I arranged roses to decorate the table. I baked cookies. I folded and put away laundry. As I worked, I thought that, perhaps, nobody would notice all the work that goes on behind-the-scenes in the life of a homemaker. And yet, as I quietly went about the labor of putting things in order and making things look pretty, I was thanking the Lord in my heart for a beautiful day. I was thinking of comforting Scripture and the words from old-time hymns. I reminded myself that I was doing all this for the glory and praise of the Lord. Instead of feeling discouraged, I felt grateful to have been trusted with the care of a home and family.
Perhaps nobody will ever notice all the little things I do in a day. But I feel the closeness of the Lord amidst my daily work. There is a light of cheer in this quiet corner of rural New England. What I do may seem unimportant, but it is a great honor and a privilege to spend my life faithfully doing the little things at home.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives -
The Blessing of Home - Retired from the World.
"There is No Ambition" - Simplicity of Old Fashioned Homemaking.
A Tireless Worker - The Benevolent Housekeeper.
Beautiful Living - Feminine Grace.
- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -
Help for hard times at home -
House Keeping in Hard Times: Essays and Encouragement from a Christian Housewife
Paperback, 180 pages
9 comments:
Such beautiful and consoling thoughts for us homemakers. Thank you and God bless you, Mrs. White.
Such a consoling and helpful post for us homemakers. Thank you and God bless you, Mrs. White.
Others may not see and appreciate your daily efforts, but the Lord ever and always takes notice, Mrs. White. He sees the sparrow fall and counts the hairs on our heads. I'm facing some medical issues in the weeks to come and your sweet prayers would be so much appreciated. Blessings!
If it wasn’t done, it would be noticed very quickly! At any rate, He notices, and that’s all that matters 😊.
Oh it's important and valuable work, my dear. I see how our home has suffered in my absence at work. It is where the LORD has me for now. I do long for the energy to care for my home better now though. There are trade offs in everything. Hugs! Laura
I love this quote by CS Lewis: "What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? As Dr. Johnson said, 'To be happy at home is the end of all human endeavour'... So your job is the one for which all others exist."
So wonderfully said Mrs White. I too have the same thoughts. I have slowed down over the past couple of years, health issues and ageing, yet my walk with the Lord has intesified. I no longer rush around trying to accomplish all the things my mind thinks I should do, instead I do the things I need to do with a smile on my face and a grateful heart. Everything takes a little longer but it all gets done. Blessings to you and your family
Good morning Mrs White! Your post is a lovely reminder of Colossians 3:17 and 23. Also Colossians 3:3. We have a heavenly Master, whom it is our goal
to please in all we do...we are hidden in Him. Thank you for your gentle words of encouragement once again.
We may think nobody notices our household tasks, but God knows. If we are doing His will for us, then that's what counts. And if we think nobody in the family notices, sometimes they surprisingly do. Example: When my children were young and at home I always set the dinner table in a nice way with a tablecloth and dishes to match and sometimes even a table centerpiece. I always wanted the table to look inviting and special. One day I was in a hurry or stressed out or something and didn't put anything special on the table, no tablecloth, and dishes were barely arranged as they should. My then 9 year old son looked at the table and said to me "Mom, how come the table isn't all romantic like it usually is?" Well, after that I made sure to always make the table special because even my son noticed something was amiss!
By the way your colorful trees are beautiful. Our trees are already past peak. They were gorgeous about a week ago, but the recent winds have stripped all the leaves. We are now looking at sticks again until May.
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