The Simple Life at Home

There are two ways you can understand being happy at home. The first would be to be happy with your calling as a wife and mother. This is hard for some women, particularly women who have had careers outside the home and who do not get a sense of real accomplishment or fulfillment from being a stay-at-home mother. I understand this. There are no accolades, no paychecks or bonuses. There is no annual review wherein you are told what a good job you are doing. Most of what you accomplish throughout the day will have to be repeated tomorrow - meals to cook, dishes to wash, floors to sweep, laundry to do. There is often no lasting thing that you can point to and say, "I did that."

But, oh Christian mother, your accomplishments are lasting. And they will far outlast any building you could build, or book you could write, or any other thing you can accomplish at any other job in the world. For you see, you are raising a whole new generation of disciples. If you can catch the vision for this, you will be a far happier person. You will understand that the time you have with your children is fleeting. You have but a mere 18 years (truthfully less, because they need to make decisions for themselves even younger) to impress upon them the ways of the Lord. There are many other practical things, as well, that they need to learn to be responsible, productive and happy adults.

As a mother, you have more input into the life of your child than any other being on this planet. I've seen studies recently where peers and media play a bigger role in a child's decision-making than parents. This ought not be so! If you can guide your child, gently but firmly, into learning how to think through decisions, you will be richly rewarded. Too often today, young people make the mistake of seeking out immediate gratification or peer acceptance. While, of course, everyone will make mistakes, you are in a position to help your child avoid many of them. But you have to have built a relationship of trust and respect with your child so that they can hear what you are saying.

So, you see, being home to build that relationship with your children is very important. If all their time is spent with peers and media, that will be where they go for guidance. I know that it's not tangible, but it is eternal. What we mothers do does matter. Every little thing we've picked up off the floor, every nose we wipe and diaper we change, every school assignment we help with - all of it - is all part of a process of raising a godly, mature adult. That is a matter of vital importance! If you allow it (though it may take time), you can find more fulfillment in that than in any other vocation on earth.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about the other kind of being happy at home - being content to stay in, fun things to do. I'll share some ideas and I hope you'll share some, too!