The Perfect Housewife

The perfect housewife ..is not me!

Nor is she anyone I know or have met so far.I certainly don't claim to be an expert when it comes to homemaking and housework. In fact I have some mixed emotions over it all.

Now don't get me wrong -I absolutely love my home!

The problem is that some days, I just don't love the effort it takes to scrub the bathroom floor or do the laundry or go grocery shopping.

You see, sometimes I'd much rather read a book or write a blogpost about it than actually do the job.

And to be perfectly honest, I am one of those ladies who really enjoys re-arranging the furniture and decorating a room; but the thought of cleaning out the refrigerator leaves me cold -literally!

Talking with friends, shows me that I'm not very different from most housewives.

We probably all feel similar about the chores we dislike the most to do. The ones we'd prefer to ignore or delegate to someone else if we could.

But you know, it's those very jobs that can teach us the valuable lessons about self-sacrifice and serving our families.

If no-one takes care of the more disagreeable chores then the peace in the home can easily become unravelled, as the laundry piles up and the food goes off in the refrigerator.

The stress levels rise as the cleaning standards lower and frustration reigns when there's nothing for dinner or no clean socks to be found!

I expect we've all 'been there and done that' at some stage of life.

It takes real commitment and effort to 'keep-house' well.

It takes a grateful heart to appreciate the gift of being able to stay at home in order to keep it.

It takes some wisdom to know that "if you do stuff-stuff gets done".

And it takes humility to accept that I am the one who needs to be doing the 'stuff' to keep my house running peacefully and orderly. As wife and mother, the responsibility is mine- it comes with the territory.

Yes..I agree that it's more fun to dress the home with vases of fresh flowers and hang pretty pictures on the walls. All good and lovely things for making a pleasant homely environment!

Yet..if the foundational jobs of cleaning the house and stocking the pantry are neglected, we'll end up regretting the imbalances we've created by our lack of discipline.

I believe I will probably, never really enjoy cleaning my oven - but- I feel so good once I've done it!

When my reflection gleams back at me, I am satisfied that all the hard work of scouring it out was worth it !

It's very rewarding when you can look back on the day and see that your efforts have made a difference, and enhanced the pleasure of home-life for your family.

As I said..I am not the perfect housewife or an expert homemaker by any means.

However, I do see the value in working to improve my attitude and housekeeping skills.

Each small daily victory adds up over time, and brings the blessing of God's approval and enabling and His perfecting! I need to constantly go to Him to ask for the grace I need to serve my loved ones as serving Christ Himself.

He takes my lack of discipline and motivation and trains me up to be the godly homemaker He desires by giving me the reward of my hands, as I plainly see how much I am blessing my family, by taking good care of our precious home.

blessings..Trish

This is linked to http://raisinghomemakers.com/