Does Homemaking Really Matter?
We Must Have a Vision to Keep Going
What a grand and auspicious work a woman is called to; how significant and far-reaching is the scope of her vision. When she understands the breadth of her calling, generations will have their faith ignited, and those who seek truth will find it within the walls of her home. ~Sally Clarkson
It’s All About Relationships
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Â ~Colossians 3:23-24, ESV
Homemaking is an Expression of Love
Homemaking is an expression of love. Â ~Kathryn Porter
Home—the Happiest Place on Earth
Your work does matter to those who enjoy its fruits. Note the marketing appeal of advertising that uses the family kitchen and a mother’s loving care and delightful interaction with her children. Household management provides a pattern of rituals for everyday life…It is not hard to enhance the mundane so that the ordinary becomes extraordinary and creativity pays dividends. Home should be the happiest place on earth. Â ~Dorothy Kelley Patterson
So what really matters? Well, housework, among other things. It is not the only thing that matters, but it does matter. It matters that people have somewhere to come home to and that there be beds and meals and space and order available there.
Whether we do a lot of housework or a little of it, whether we keep house only for ourselves or for other people as well, housework forms part of the basic patterning of our lives, a pattern that we might identify as a kind of ‘litany of everyday life.’Â ~Margaret Kim Peterson
So, yes, homemaking matters very much. It matters to those who live in your home, and also to those who visit your home. Even if you’re only keeping house for yourself, it still matters.
Don’t lose sight of the importance of your ministry as a homemaker. Your work matters!
Other Posts in This Series
Karen Woodall says
I love homemaking (and homeschooling)! I see the home as the perfect place for training and transferring your personal history to your kids. It’s in the context of a shared life that the moments that matter happen. Can’t substitute anything for just plain old T-I-M-E!
Joy Kincaid says
I agree!
Umberta says
I have found your website via Pinterest in a day in which housework and all the family were very heavy to my heart (not to mention the joints). And since I was asking the Lord to help me about this heaviness, I have to suppose that my coming here is not a coincidence. Thank you, Joy, and merry Christmas!
Joy Kincaid says
So glad you stopped by, Umberta! I hope you had a lovely Christmas!
Jamie@TheMomGene says
Thanks quote from Sally Clarkson is so inspiring! Thank you for sharing, Joy!
Joy Kincaid says
Sally never fails to inspire me! Thanks for stopping by, Jamie!
lengkat says
ok, so ive been a banker for the past four years but my family has suffered from my lack of no time and trying to make ends meet, my daughter especially has suffered my absence, with that i have made up my mind to drop it all and be a good wife and loving mother to my children.
your post was really encouraging.
thank you.
Joy Kincaid says
I’m so glad it was encouraging!
Thoughts for the day says
I see homemaking as 'making your home' safe, secure, warm and healthy. It is a precious gift and honor for you to be able to stay home and make your home a place of peace. We have been married 42 years and I have been a home maker for at least half of those years then I went to work and now I am back into my home. I love it. it is peace.
Joy Kincaid says
I agree, it is a precious gift! So thankful for it!
Long Ladies says
I am not a wife or mother, but as the sister to ten other siblings I understand the value of homemaking. Not only is it important for the family, but in the event of hospitality as well.
Thank you for sharing your heart on this!
~Haley
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Haley!
Carole Fuchs says
Beautifully written! I have been a stay at home mom for 7 years now to 3 little girls and I always say the days are long but the weeks are short! Time goes so fast, but it is so worth it at the end of the day!
Carole
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Carole! I agree with your statement about the days being long but the weeks being short. It really does go by so quickly, but it's so worth it!
Kali says
This article was so encouraging. The quotes you used are beautiful. This is the kind of article that really helps homemakers when the days get difficult.
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Kali!
Elizabeth says
This post was absolutely beautiful! And much needed as well! As a young woman who desires to be a wife and homemaker one day, this was so incredibly encouraging. Thank you for both taking the time to write this and for being a wonderful example of a godly woman who loves her home and family. We younger women need those examples and encouragement!! (I'm thankful that my own mother is one of those women as well!)
Thank you again for this huge boost of encouragement! I so needed it 🙂
Blessings!
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Elizabeth! Your comment was a huge encouragement and blessing to me! ♥ To God be the glory! I need His grace as a wife, mother, and homemaker every day. 🙂
Healing Mama says
What an inspirational post. I've struggles with not feeling valued as a homemaker. Not by my husband or kids, but by outside people. They think all I do is watch tv and my life it so easy. It hurts when people say those things to me. I wish I could share this post with those people. Thanks for writing such a great post.
Joy Kincaid says
I'm so glad to meet you, Healing Mama! And so thankful that this post encouraged you. You're doing an important work—don't let anyone discourage you about being a homemaker! ♥
Anonymous says
Amazing and so true! I can remember being in second grade wanting to be a teacher and homemaker- and I do both in our home! I wish more people, specially women, understood the value of a homemaker. It's not demeaning and shackling, it's gift from God! It's a blessing that will continue to touch others long after we're gone. Like ripples on a pond, our work, dedication and love magnify exponentially.
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you for this beautiful comment—I love your last sentence: "Like ripples on a pond, our work, dedication and love magnify exponentially." I totally agree! ♥
Mary Murnane says
So cute. I love everything about this post. Looks like fun!
Mary
http://www.marymurnane.com
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Mary!
Gracefullmama says
Wonderful post!
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you!
domenica.60 says
Joy , your post is full of golden words for a homemaker like me!
A big hug ,
Franca
Joy Kincaid says
Thank you, Franca! ♥
lexie robinson says
I am a stay-at-hone daughter now, learning how to be a keeper of the home. I pray often that the Lord will bless me with the focus to stay on this path. There is no greater responsibility or gift than a woman caring for her family. As you said, the woman can change the world for future generations by her kindness, compassion, and self-sacrificing love she offers her family. Thanks for an amazing post.
Joy Kincaid says
Thanks so much for sharing these encouraging thoughts, Lexie!
Sara says
One of my favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa : "If you want to make a difference in this world, go home and love your family".
Joy Kincaid says
I love that! ♥