DISTRACTIONS in DISCIPLESHIP : THE HOME
Distractions… life is full of them. They come in all shapes and sizes. They can be bad things, but they can also be good things… even necessary things. In this short article, I will discuss a common distraction that Christian women, myself included, face that can keep us from pursuing the Lord with our whole heart: the home.
The home is an important responsibility in a woman’s life, and that responsibility only grows with time.
Proverbs 31 describes the virtuous woman. Verses 27-28 tell us that, “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”
A virtuous woman is not an idle woman. She actively seeks to meet the needs of her home. She is to be a blessing and a help to her spouse and her children. The home and a woman’s responsibility towards it are necessary things. That said, the home can also be a distraction that keeps a woman from pursing the Lord and His will for her life. When the cares of the home take precedence over our time with the Lord, then it has become a distraction. From personal experience, I can say when I’m not deliberate to carve out times of solitude with the Lord, my relationships suffer and so does my home. As I sit in my quiet time, I have put aside my never-ending laundry, constant dog hair that needs to be vacuumed, dishes, dusting, cooking, organizing… “Wait, how did that toy get in the middle of the floor?” And there goes my time with the Lord.
As women, we must constantly fight the temptation to stay busy with the home and squeeze out our personal time with the Lord. That is not to say that we forsake our responsibilities in the home; God forbid. But we must prioritize our personal time with the Lord in His word and in prayer. If not, we will ultimately fail in the responsibilities God has given us for the home. It’s like discipleship. I have no business discipling another person if my own walk with the Lord is not right. If I am not spending time alone with Him in His word, meditating upon His word, walking in His commandments, praying to Him, singing songs to Him… you get the point - I must first be right with the Lord before I can be of any use to others and fulfill the purposes God created me for. The same goes for the home.
Christ, Himself, taught the importance of this in His dealings with Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42.
Often, when we read this story Martha gets a bad rap. And that is somewhat unfair. Martha’s work was necessary. Jesus and His followers needed to eat. For those of you with husbands and children (particularly boys), you can relate. But while Martha’s work was necessary, what Mary had was needful. Here Christ teaches us the importance of time spent with him, sitting at His feet, and hearing His words. Ultimately, labor without a relationship, ministry service without personal time with the Lord, can and often is vain labor in the eyes of the Lord. We simply cannot be the women God would have us to be and serve in the home the way he would have us to do if we forsake time with Him in His word and prayer. As Matthew 6:33 tells us, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness. When we do, it not only pleases the Lord in the mission He has called us, but we’ll also be a blessing to our homes.
A few practical tips I’ve learned. Plan a scheduled time every day to get alone with the Lord. If not, despite your best intentions, you’ll find that time gets robbed. Also, don’t let anything interfere with that time. Again, this is the Lord we’re talking about. He must be first! And finally, don’t be afraid to ask your spouse for help. A good husband understands that you need to be right with the Lord in order to be right at home. Don’t be afraid to ask him for help with the kids, help with the house, help with whatever, so that you can have set, uninterrupted times with Lord. Not only will you find this to be a blessing personally, but your home will be blessed, too.
Rachel White is a member of the Discipleship Team at Midtown Baptist Temple