The Job of Homekeeping

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to divide my time as homekeeper, wife, and mother. Because I'm a history buff, I tend to look back and think, "How did they do it then and was it better than we tend to do it now?" When it comes to homekeeping, I think women of the past undoubtedly did it much better than we do today.
The main reason for this is homekeeping was considered a job. A real job. Today, many women think keeping the house is a chore to get done as quickly as possible.

However, in the past, the work of homekeeping was considered not just a matter of keeping things clean. It was also about serving others. As Christians, second only to loving God, we are to serve others. (Gal. 5:13-14, Acts 20:35, John 13:12 -14, Mark 9:35, Phil. 2:1-11, Luke 22:25-27) So Proverbs 31 women really ought to consider home keeping an act of service to their family.

So how might our lives change if our attitudes about homekeeping change? If you were being paid for homekeeping - if homekeeping was your career - would you get a bonus or would you get fired?

Homekeeping isn't always fun. It's sometimes boring. And if you have passions outside of home keeping, it can be tough to stick with your job when more interesting things call to you. Yet the Bible calls Proverbs 31 women to get to work "vigorously" (Prov. 31:17) and "with eager hands" (Prov. 31:13).



Being a homemaker is a lot like running your own business. You must be self motivated and you ought to have a business plan. Do you have a homekeeping mission statement or business plan? Until recently, I did not - except for some vague ideas in my brain. But yesterday I wrote down my mission statement and posted it on my desk. It's based on one I found over at Organizing Junkie:
"My Homekeeping Mission Statement
To provide an inviting and peaceful household environment for my family and all who enter - one that is conducive to living simply, loving deeply, and laughing abundantly. I will pray daily for God's help in achieving this goal and I will strive each day to take steps toward it. I will graciously and cheerfully serve my family and take joy in my commitment to creating a home that is pleasing to God."


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1 comment

  1. Thanks so much for this encouraging post. I struggle with having the right attitude when it comes to house work. The mission statement is a wonderful idea. A good one to add at the top of my chore list.

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