Welcome to Day #10 of the 31 Days to Professional Homemaking series. To learn more about this series and to see the list of topics, click HERE. Please know that I am not an expert in marriage, motherhood, or homemaking. I'm just a woman {who happens to be a wife, mother, and homemaker}, trying to figure it all out, by the grace of God. This series is just as much for me as it is for anyone reading.
Before we get started, I'd like to offer you the following button, in case you want to share this series with your readers:
We're about one-third of the way through our 31 Days to Professional Homemaking series and I am so grateful for those of you who have commented, shared, pinned, and followed along. The response has been better than I ever expected and I am so thankful for each and every one of you! So, please accept this big, virtual, bear hug as an expression of my gratitude!
Having said that {and I mean it with all my heart}, let's keep the momentum going, shall we?
You see, the idea of intentional living is pretty popular these days. And, in general, I think it's a good thing. People are more aware that life is short and they don't want to waste any of it. But, unfortunately, the thing that draws people towards intentional living the most is the desire to pursue their dreams and to create a life that makes them happy.
What's the problem with that? Well, it's too me-centered. It's selfish.
I know I'm not going to be popular for saying typing this, but I'm here to tell you that this life isn't about us and our happiness at all. Ever heard the phrase, "God doesn't necessarily want you to be happy. It's more important to Him that you are HOLY!" {or, at least, some variation of that phrase}. It's so true!
This life isn't about us. Everything we have, from the breath that we take to the house that we live in, belong to the Lord. We're simply here to take care of it and use it to glorify Him.
Therefore, I propose a different kind of intentional living. One that isn't concerning with chasing our own dreams or pursuing our own happiness. I'd like to offer something better than that: pursuing the dream that God has for us and the joy that only comes from Him {which, is ten times better - and, ten times more reliable, by the way - than happiness}.
How do we do that? If you remember, at end of yesterday's post, I said that "being intentional about something simply means that you strive to glorify God through your stewardship {the act of being a caretaker or guardian} of that 'something'". In other words,
Intentional Living = Good Stewardship
So, today, I'd like to focus on this idea of stewardship and talk about how it translates to our job as homemakers. But, before we get into specifics, we've got to first define what stewardship is, so that we're all on the same page. {That, and I'm a word nerd, if you couldn't already tell...}
Stewardship: "the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc; the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving." {dictionary.com}
As a Christian, I am responsible for managing, overseeing, and protecting everything that God has given me: my body, my marriage, my child{ren}, my home, my clothes, my car, my finances, my friends, my time, my energy... I could go on...
But, I won't.. for your sake...
Instead, please allow me to direct you to my 7 Key Areas of Intentional Living post. In it I share the seven "main" areas of my life and what it means {to me} to be a good steward of each one. For example, being a good steward of my relationship with the Lord means that I'm meeting with Him daily {I don't always, but I strive for this}. Being a good steward of my health means that I'm eating the very best diet available to me {not in a "fad diet" kind of way, but as a lifestyle - again, I don't always do this, but it's the effort that counts}. Being a good steward of my money means that I'm not giving in to impulse purchases and that I take the time to research the best deals {again, say it with me: "I don't always do this, but I strive for it"}.
Your areas may look different than mine and that's okay. You may be in a different season of life {single, no children, children have already left home...}. You may work outside the home or you may not work at all {in the traditional, earning-a-paycheck kind of way}. You may be a single mom or a widow. So when it comes to looking at each areas of your life and how you can be a good steward of it, don't compare your life to others. Just start where you are.
I like how Amanda, from Always Amanda, talks about stewardship:
"I can choose to live life on auto-pilot and just get by in a way that is average and acceptable. I can also choose to strive for perfection, and live with stress and anxiety, lacking in joy and contentment.
But there is a third way.
A way of intention, of stewardship over the areas placed in my care. A way in which I put thought and prayer into my decisions and how I choose to live. A way of striving for excellence, not perfection, allowing for God’s beautiful grace to cover my humanity, my weaknesses and my shortcomings."
{Day #1 of 31 Days of Intention with a Measure of Grace series}
Stewardship is about the balance between living on auto-pilot and becoming trapped by legalism. That fine line, as Amanda has said, is striving for excellence, not perfection. It's about doing our best, for the glory of God, and allowing His grace to fill in the gaps. Because, there will be gaps.
Today's Challenge:
Each day, I'll give you a challenge: one small thing you can do to apply each day's topic to your life and your home.
Here's your challenge for today:
1. Take out the job description you wrote down yesterday. On that page you should already have listed your areas of responsibilities and their corresponding expectations. Today, I want you to add another column {or copy your list onto another piece of paper} and write down how you can be a better steward of that area. {Remember: excellence, not perfection.} This may mean that you need to change your expectations a bit and that's okay. Keep in mind, this list is a work-in-progress, something that will change as you journey in and out of different life seasons.
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FOR DAY #9: THE HOMEMAKER'S JOB DESCRIPTION
CLICK HERE.
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FOR DAY #11: STEWARDSHIP 101
CLICK HERE.
God Bless,
FOR DAY #9: THE HOMEMAKER'S JOB DESCRIPTION
CLICK HERE.
----------------------------->
FOR DAY #11: STEWARDSHIP 101
CLICK HERE.
God Bless,
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Linked To:
Women Living Well Wednesdays at Women Living Well Ministries
Homemaking Link Up at Raising Homemakers
Works For Me Wednesdays at We Are THAT Family
Hearts 4 Home at Our Simple Country Life
Beautiful Thursdays at Passionate and Creative Homemaking
Thrive @ Home Thursdays at Jenni Mullinix
Desire to Inspire Thursdays at Royal Daughter Designs
Linked To:
Women Living Well Wednesdays at Women Living Well Ministries
Homemaking Link Up at Raising Homemakers
Works For Me Wednesdays at We Are THAT Family
Hearts 4 Home at Our Simple Country Life
Beautiful Thursdays at Passionate and Creative Homemaking
Thrive @ Home Thursdays at Jenni Mullinix
Desire to Inspire Thursdays at Royal Daughter Designs
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