Happiness at Home – A Sure Cure for the “Housewife Blues”Love our families as we may, all of us as Christian wives and mothers have felt frustrated at one time or another. My greatest joy and happiness is in serving my husband and our daughters. Even so, when days go by and all I seem to accomplish is dressing the babies and doing dishes, I have to admit to feeling frustrated. After all, I reason, isn’t there something more I can do for the Lord than this?
But the Bible says in Titus 2:4-5 that we are to love our husbands, love our children, and to be keepers at home. Why? “That the word of God be not blasphemed.” We can serve the Lord in no greater place than our own homes. With this thought in mind, here are some practical ways in which we can overcome the “housewife blues.”
1. Set aside time daily for the Lord. Nothing else can give the peace and strength that the Word of God and prayer do. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Even a few minutes every day will bring great wisdom and strength.
2. Regularly spend time teaching your children. Teach them about God, nature, and personal skills. Whatever your children’s ages, they are eager to learn. You would be surprised at how quickly even small children can memorise Scripture. The Israelites were commanded to teach their children God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:5-9), and if we will do the same we will reap wonderful dividends. How wonderful the Lord is to give us homes and families to care for!
3. Reach out to others from your own home. There are so many things you can do to help others from your home. Why not determine to write a missionary family each month? You can be certain that your interest will encourage them as they serve the Lord. Do you know any sick or house-bound people who need your love? It only takes a few moments to send a card. Or perhaps you know some lonely young mother who would just love to come to your house for coffee. The gift of helps is as real as any other of the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28).
4. Acquire a hobby of your own. This should be anything you enjoy which you can work on occasionally. A wholesome hobby will give you enjoyment and a sense of self-worth. A change of pace can be very restful. Jesus told His disciples to “come ye yourselves apart . . . and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). You will be more eager to tackle your household tasks after having a diversion from them.
5. Witness to everyone you can. Even without going away from home we meet many people to whom we can witness. Determine to witness to the mailman, the paper boy, and anyone else who comes to your door. The Lord will send them by, and you will win some to Him.
6. Involve yourself in some spiritual activity at your church. The opportunities are many: Sunday school teaching, children’s church, visitation, choir. Christian service will provide a fulfilling outlet for what the Lord is doing in your own life.
7. Keep your priorities straight. Priorities are so important! We all like to keep a neat, clean house, but when the baby is sick and needs you to rock and hold him, he deserves priority over your housework. Your happy, fresh outlook and cheery attitude toward your family also deserve priority over housework. In trying to keep up with everything, you may become so fatigued that you act like a grizzly bear when your husband comes home. The Lord, your husband, your children, and your own well-being need to be your highest priorities. Settle this fact in your mind and do not allow yourself to become frustrated when other things must give way to them.
8. Develop patience. So many things happen every day to upset our schedule, and we must learn to take them in stride. Are you patient enough to answer all those why, why, why questions without irritation? Are you patient enough to consistently discipline your toddler who never seems to learn what “no-no” means? Do you give your older children the patience and understanding they deserve? “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience” (2 Peter 1:5-6).
Remember that you are making an investment for the future. The very idea of investment is one of putting something away which brings high returns – not immediately – but in the future. There is nothing greater that Christian women can do for the Lord (or for the world) than to “love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.”
Read the account of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 and you will find that this woman’s primary interest was in making her home what it should be for the Lord. If we will love our children and faithfully teach them the things of the Lord, they will grow to serve Him and will turn many sinners to salvation. Our future rewards will far outweigh any sacrifice we make today. Consider how blessed you are to be serving the Lord, and God’s blessing of contentment will come in response to your gratitude.
by Cathy Harness
Faith for the Family. January 1982
NOTE:
As this is the only article I have read from Cathy Harness please do not assume that her inclusion here is an endorsement of all her material, or that this statement reflects a non-approval of her writings.
