At the Well... Being an Efficient HomeWORKER

Over at "At the Well... In Pursuit of Titus 2", they're having a discussion about how to "Be an Efficient HomeWORKER". God has been putting this as an important theme in my life lately - after the death of a dear loved one, followed shortly by the birth of little boy #5, and the insuing recovery periods, things have gotten a bit... chaotic. Which makes it easy to fall into a trap of discouragement, frustrations, feeling overwhelmed, and even depression. I have let alot of my homemaking responsibilities fall to the wayside, and we are all starting to feel the effects. So I am eager to share what the Lord has been putting on my heart as He brings me back to restoring order and peace in my home!

First, His Word is where I turn to for encouragement, and here are some verses he has placed on my heart to keep me encouraged:

• 2 Thessalonians 3 - the whole chapter! It is about combating idleness, being sure to work for the Lord, and to not weary of doing good
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11 "...and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you..."
• Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." This one is so important to me when I get caught up in dwelling on the thoughts that burden me with discouragement or sadness
• I know I've mentioned this one alot, but it remains a great encouragement to me: Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

As far as my goals go, I have several:

• Decluterring and organizing the things in my house. Thanks to Brenda and her rave reviews, I am going to be using a Motivated Moms planner to help me accomplish this.
• Revamping a schedule for the family. We all seem to function better when we know the basic guideline for how our days will flow. I am rereading Teri Maxwell's "Managers of their Homes" for help with this.
• More consistant discipline with the children
• Keeping my priorities in line!

God has given us so many tools in the area of homemaking! First and foremost are His Word, and Prayer. When I don't spend time in these two areas daily, the struggle to serve him begins almost immediately!

Two more I rely on heavily are my children and my appliances. I am going over the children's chore lists and making sure they are up-to-date, as well as making sure the children know exactly what I expect when a certain chore is done, so that I don't have to constantly come back and say "you forgot this...". And can I just say there is not a day that goes by when I don't thank the Lord for my dishwasher and washing machine? Really! I use them each daily, and remember well the 3 years of my marriage without a dishwasher, and 2 without a washing machine, so I am always so, so thankful that I have these tools to use now.

Also, to keep myself focused and encouraged, I rely on other women's minstries as a tool, as well. A few I mentioned above, but a few others are materials from Above Rubies (any of Nancy's CDs will give you such an AMAZING vision and perspective on God's calling for us to as mothers, wives, and homemakers - I am currently listening to "Mothers with a Mission" and it is wowing me!), as well as Family Ministries and other resources from Titus2.com. There is a reason God's Word tells the older women to teach the younger women what is good, and it is a treasure to tap into these resources!

Do you have tips of encouragement to share in your ministry of homemaking? Be sure to stop by At the Well and share!