-Mothers As Wise Home-Builders
In high school we had to write an essay based on the saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” I don’t remember what I wrote, but the truth of this proverb is often impressed upon my mind these days, as we live in a time when the family is being attacked and torn to pieces. There is war within and war without, and we need to see what the problem is in light of the Scriptures, to combat this damaging trend. Proverbs 14:1, above, is a good place to start. How does a wise woman build her house?
There’s little doubt that the stability and unity of the family rests in the hands of the woman. She has a most important part to play in the security and well-being of the home, especially the Christian home. Daily impressions are made in the character formation of the children through the life of their Christian mother. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the position and duties assigned to the mother, if properly carried out, will result in making the home a miniature heaven on earth.
The Bible says that the man is the head of the home and the woman is his helpmate, doing things in submission to or under his leadership. The word “submit” in the original is a military term meaning “taking up the assigned rank.” Occupying the place God has appointed for the woman is the key to success in the family. It is when the woman usurps the position of the man that trouble begins, as we see in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:13). Problems arise when we are unwilling to submit to our God-given roles.
In the Book of Ruth, we read that the people and the elders together blessed Ruth, saying, “May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel” (4:11). This is a very thought-provoking statement. It does not say that Jacob “built up the house of Israel.” The verse shows the significant influence women can have on the children and the home. Peter wrote of the women whose pure and reverent lives brought about change in the lives of their husbands (1 Pet. 3:1-2). And Paul commended Timothy’s “sincere faith” and declared that he had seen the same faith in the lives of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5).
When the first couple was sent out of the garden, Adam was given the job outside the home, and Eve had the duty within the home (Gen. 3:16-19). In Deuteronomy 6:7 we read that children are to be instructed while sitting, walking, lying down and rising up. If the father’s job was outside the home, as it is today, who would actually carry out much of this instruction? Every incident in the home should be a means to teach children the things of God.
Today, many mothers, who must work outside the home, fall short of their primary calling – to be “keepers at home” (Ti. 2:5). I’m not against women working. If a husband’s income isn’t sufficient to meet the family’s needs, and if the Lord has given the wife a job, she should work at it. But she should not neglect her duties at home, because God has entrusted much more than physical responsibilities to the woman. Both parents are accountable for the spiritual and mental well-being of the family as well.
Dear mothers, how much influence do we have on our young ones? Do they say, “I do this because my mummy does”? Remember, we are walking Bibles to them. We may get away with being hypocrites around everyone else, but at home our children know us as we really are. It is through us that our children learn “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23). They learn to control their tongue if we are careful with ours. We are role models and guides in their formative years. Every day our children transfer into their lives our talk pattern, our godliness, our prayer life, our attitude toward money and material things, and so much more. If we only realized how important a role God has assigned to us, our lives would be transformed. May God give us heavenly wisdom to change our lives and raise up a generation that pleases God.
By Betty Kurlan
With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org
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This is great. May God continue to uphold His Church in truth and faithfulness. Amen.