For the first 6 years of my marriage, I worked full time and never viewed myself as a homemaker. There just didn’t seem to be a purpose to homemaking when I was working outside the home.
I loved decorating my home, but the menial tasks of cooking dinner and cleaning bathrooms just seemed like a burden.
I would often put off all my housework until the end of the week and then finish it all quickly and with a bad attitude.
In fact, I would go as far to say that I hated homemaking.
I viewed those household tasks as things I had to check off my to-do list.
Then when I transitioned from working full time to staying home, I felt like all I did was cook, clean, and change diapers!
I started to feel like I had no purpose in my new role as a homemaker.
After months of feeling this way, I finally decided that I had to figure out how to stop hating being a homemaker.
That’s when I searched scripture for some answers and came across Titus 2:3-5, and found the purpose or the “why” behind being a homemaker.
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
These verses helped me understand that homemaking is more than just cleaning the house or getting food on the table.
I learned that homemaking applies to all women whether we work outside the home or not or whether we have children or no children.
Homemaking is a responsibility and privilege.
By keeping the home clean and organized, doing the laundry, and cooking meals, we create a home for our families to live and love in. What an awesome responsibility!
When horrible events happen in our world, I’m reminded that in this often scary world, our homes should be a safe haven for our families.
Home should be a place that our spouses and children WANT to be.
A place YOU want to be.
A welcome retreat.
A place for people to safely be themselves.
I love sharing organizational tips and home management ideas on this blog, but I don’t ever want you to think that homemaking is living up to a certain standard or being like me or anyone else.
You may be a single mom, working full time, or a stay at home mom with children under school age. Since your circumstances are different from others, the way you keep your home will differ from them too.
In fact, the way that I keep my home will change throughout the seasons of my life and will probably look different just like yours.
But this will always be true:
Homemaking is about the “why” behind all of the household tasks.
- Why do a load of laundry each day?
- Why put effort into making dinner?
- Why keep an organized home?
I do these things so that when my husband comes home each day he is glad to be here. He walks in the door knowing that his clothes are clean for the next day, he knows supper will be ready shortly, and he doesn’t have to trip over clutter as he comes in the door.
Remembering my why for homemaking also helps me stay motivated with my homemaking tasks.
Not all women have enough clothes to do a load of laundry, enough food to make a meal for their families, or a home to organize.
In Melissa Michael’s book Love the Home You Have* she encouraged me to start looking at these tasks differently.
When I remember that the dirty clothes, plates of food, and beds to make are really blessings, I’m reminded that it is a privilege to be a homemaker.
We aren’t just doing the dishes, scrubbing the toilets, and putting the laundry away in order to check them off of a list. We are making homes for our families.
Here’s the thing.
My husband doesn’t come home and say, “The kitchen sink looks great. You must have scrubbed it today!”
But every once in a while we’ll be hanging out at home, and he will turn to me and say, “I like our home. It’s so comfortable.”
That right there is motivation enough to keep scrubbing the sink even if no one acknowledges when I do!
You’re not just cleaning and decorating your house.
You are MAKING a home.
The next time you catch yourself complaining about your homemaking tasks, think about the purpose of homemaking tasks.
You are making a HOME for the people you love!
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9 thoughts on “The Purpose of Homemaking!”
This is SO good, Emily! I love your heart for homemaking. Like you, when horrible things happen in the world I feel the importance of creating a haven at home. Thank you for sharing this today!
Thank you, Whitney! When horrible things happen in the world, I often feel helpless. But I know that I can make my little place in this world better. I love your heart for homemaking too. Your blog and YT channel are such an encouragement to women!
When I was a young Mom and had loads of laundry and lots of dishes, I read somewhere that you should pray for each of your family members as you folded the clothes, washed dishes etc. Thanking God for each child (and your husband!) as you did so. It makes you less frustrated, resentful and much more gratefull for each blessing!
That is a great idea. Praying for the people in your home helps you focus on your blessings rather than the chore at hand. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome post! That is the whole reason behind homemaking and something that I try to remind myself when tasks seems tedious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much this is what I needed to hear. As I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the time. But am clearly hearing God speak to me on this subject it is nice to get a word reassurance. When the world is so quick to tell you to be angry and resentful. I want nothing more then to prepare a place for my family in the way God intended.
I’m so glad to hear that this was a timely message, Amber. Yes, the world wants us to think that caring for the home and our families is a burden. But it truly is a privilege and a responsibility given to us from God.
I love this post. I have just recently been learning how to become a home maker, since my mom was a full time nurse and didn’t consider the “home” to be her job, although she still managed to do most things at home brilliantly anyways 😉 It’s hard when our husbands don’t always thank us, but I know he appreciates certain things a lot, like having the entryway cleared even if the rest of the house is a disaster! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing, Kelly. I had to learn how to be a homemaker, and am still learning! And ditto to the entryway. 🙂