Feminine Friday: Domestic Affairs

 

 

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a mother and a wife. When I was a teenager, I dreamed about the day I'd have my own home so I could organize it my own way. I wanted to meet a young man that would have similar standards to my own and would feel the same way regarding getting married and having children. I don't have early memories of my own mother telling me this is what I should or had to do but rather I remember that she was a stay-at-home mother that attempted to keep her home and put in much effort to feed her family and she did take the time to teach me how to do these things. I understood early on that being a homemaker was a Godly calling for a woman.

I so often read these days about the contempt some people feel for the "over-emphasis of gender roles" placed on young children. I fully believe a baby boy or a baby girl is formed and created to be exactly the gender God wanted them to be. From a very young age we parents begin molding and shaping these little ones so they know how to behave and what is expected of them. No matter the method, most parents attempt to teach their babies and young children how to sleep in a bed, how to eat with the proper utensils, how to cloth themselves, and eventually things like how to properly address someone, how to be grateful, how to brush their teeth, and how to pick up their toys. It would appear that most parents agree that early instruction on some matters is an important part of raising children.

Why not teach little boys how to be leaders, how to handle stress properly, how to express themselves constructively, and how to treat ladies? These are things men are expected to do both Biblically and as a normal part of life at home and in the workforce. Don't leave them to find cultural examples of manliness because I assure you it will not lead them down the path of Biblical manhood.

Why not teach little girls how to be respectful, how to run a home, and how to be nurturing? How to act femininely and dress modestly? These are things that women are called to be Biblically. No other cultural standard should be consulted.

Our verse today in the Feminine Behaviors series is Proverbs 31:27 (KJV):

 

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

 

 

The obvious take-away from this verse is that the virtuous Proverbs 31 woman concerned herself with domestic affairs and wisely managed her time to remain active or busy throughout her day.

 

This feminine behavior is not a gift to some and others are left lacking but rather a skill that has been learned through practice and persistence. A young woman is truly blessed to have been taught by her mother through example and early instruction how to efficiently run a household.

This is a woman's calling as outlined in scripture:

• Proverbs 31:10-31 (KJV) Describes a woman of impeccable character who devoted herself to running her household and serving her family.
• Titus 2:3-5 (KJV) Older women which were known for their honorable character are instructed to teach the younger women to be "keepers at home."
• 1 Timothy 5:14 (NKJV) Paul advises young women to "manage the house."

Also we are given this wise advice from Proverbs 22:6 (NIV):

Start children off on the way they should go,

and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

 



If God so instructs women throughout scripture to concern themselves with domestic affairs, is it not our duty as parents to properly instruct our daughters in these matters from a young age?

 

♥Shari

For more on this series: Feminine Behaviors - 1) She Is Trustworthy, 2) Helpful and Attentive, 3) She Willingly Works Hard, 4) She Is Resourceful, 5) She Is Self-Sacrificing, 6) She Spends Wisely, 7) Generous and Hospitable, 8) She Anticipates and Prepare, and 9) She Speaks with Wisdom and Kindness.

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