Hope for Homemaking

This past Christmas was BY FAR the best one yet with our little girls. Both of them seemed to really grasp and understand the Spirit of Christmas as well as the meaning. The month of December was filled with endless story time accounts of Jesus' birth, daily advent activities and scripture readings, cookies, cider, chai tea and just about anything and everything that makes the holiday season feel like... The holiday season.

But what really blessed my heart as a mother this year was watching my girls' imaginations embrace something very near and dear to my heart: homemaking. We decided that homemaking would be the "theme" of our Christmas presents this year for our daughters. We were extremely fortunate and found a gently used three piece kitchen set along with all the bells and whistles on Craigslist and also purchased their first "official" baby dolls and all of the fun accessories. I will never forget the looks on their faces when they came around the corner to discover the new imaginative world of play! Nothing warmed my heart more.

These gifts were intentional on my and my husband's part. We didn't just choose these items so that our kids could have more "stuff" or more things to keep them busy while we fulfill other obligations. In a lot of ways, these purchases were an act of faith and a display of hope. We hope our daughters will develop a love for homemaking. We hope they learn to value the art of making a home fun, safe and inviting. In a society where homemaking is not esteemed and is viewed as a secondary responsibility and a "lesser than" calling, we wish to inspire and empower them in that endeavor. No, homemakers will not be WHO they are nor be ALL that they do, but my prayer is that it will be something they love, value and cherish. Wives/mommies really are the heartbeat of the home life. I have faith that with each moment they spend making me pretend dinners and changing play diapers, their hearts will be shaped, molded and prepared to joyously assume the position of homemaker even in the face of its breakdown and demise. I have great hope for them. I have great hope for the art of homemaking. It may be lost in some respects, but all it takes are willing vessels and intentional esteeming of it to breath new life into the calling.  Revolutions and reformations of thought and practice where almost always birthed from the heart of one individual throughout history. Change doesn't always require an army of likeminded people. It can start with one mother, one daughter, one father, one son choosing to unashamedly recommit to the HOME. It takes one family choosing to view themselves as a potential powerful force in the world, just as God intended it to be.  It calls for one parental unit being resolute in its efforts to truly see their children as "arrows" and dedicating their lives to aiming them in the right direction before they let go and allow those children to reach their God-given targets.

So by faith and with great joy we are starting within our own home. By God's grace we will raise daughters (and Lord-willing, sons) who will allow God's Spirit to birth a passion and zeal for one of the very first communities ever established on earth: the family. 

Ah do I have hope. Great hope, indeed.