Heart & Home link-up



The perfect housewife ..is not me!

Nor is she anyone I know or have met so far!

I do enjoy having a tidy and clean home, but I certainly don't claim to be an expert when it comes to housework.

In fact I have rather mixed emotions over it.

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.

Maybe some of you can relate to what I'm saying, lol!

Talking with friends has shown me that I'm not very different from most housewives.

We probably all feel similar about the chores we most dislike 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.

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 in the home, I believe the responsibility is mine- it comes with the territory.

Yes..I agree that it's more fun to spend time dressing the home with vases of fresh flowers and hanging pretty pictures on the walls. All good and lovely things to do which make 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.

Oh, we might not intentionally neglect such things but it can be all to easy to slip into the habit of procrastinating about them!

 

Take oven-cleaning for example.

I have never really enjoyed cleaning my oven and I tend to put this messy chore on the back-burner for a little longer than I really should. But it's silly on my part to do that because I always feel so good once it's clean again!

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 to look back on the day and see that my efforts have made a difference to the appearance and efficiency of this faithful friend who I'd been ignoring and "putting off"  for too long.

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

I still need to work on my attitude and housekeeping skills.

But I also know how I can gain the best help I need to do so!

 I have to constantly go to God to ask for the grace I need to care for my home properly and to serve my loved ones well.

Each day presents opportunities for me to gain victory over my lackadaisical attitude toward chores I'd rather ignore. These small triumphs add up over time and eventually help to make lighter work of that which used to bring a heaviness to my disposition.

Making the effort to faithfully do what is required of me brings the blessing of God's approval and His perfecting grace!

He helps me to be more disciplined and motivates me to be the godly homemaker He desires me to be.

 Day after day, He gives me the reward of my hands and shows me how much I am blessing my family when I take good care of our precious home.

It's a privilege to have a home to care for in the first place and I must do my bit to maintain this wonderful gift.
Giving in to self-absorbed pressure to look like the 'perfect housewife' is not my goal.

Joyfully and unselfishly caring for my little home is!

I'm linking this to Jasmine's wonderful blog:

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Welcome to Heart & Home!

Friends, I invite you to link up and share your love for home and family.

Devotionals, craft, gardening, cooking, tea or decorating etc. all are very welcome.

I'd love to have you join me!

#1. Please link directly to your post

#2. include my button or a link back here

#3. and leave me a little comment - don't link and run!

blessings..Trish xx