This email from a girltalk reader spans three generations and highlights the enduring influence of a godly mother’s example in the home, the importance of intentional homemaker training, and the redeeming grace of God in using our efforts—however incomplete we think they may be—for His glory.
May we all be provoked by this woman’s humble example and may she be encouraged by the fruit of her faithfulness in the lives of her daughters.
Thank you so much for your recent posts on homemaking. Although I was raised in a "traditional" Christian home with a mother who was very skilled in her homemaking abilities, very little of that was passed down to her daughters in an intentional manner or with a background of the Biblical foundation of homemaking. When I married, I could bake and cook with ease but found the daily tasks of homemaking to be tedious. Over the years God graciously worked in my life and I began to discover that there were Biblical reasons for caring for my home in a precise manner. Sadly, although my own attitudes were changing and caring for my home became more of a joy, I did not do a good job in passing that on to my own two daughters.
Both of them are now married and are establishing their own homes. I see them struggle in certain areas of homemaking and know that I could have saved them much heartache and frustration if I had done my job as a mother properly. Thankfully, I have a great relationship with both of them and have confessed my sins of neglect and asked for their forgiveness. In addition, I try to help them learn to manage their homes now by cheerfully answering any questions they call me with, offering suggestions as they approach new seasons or responsibilities, and recommending books, web sites, and blogs that can help train and encourage them~ especially in the spiritual aspect of homemaking, not just the physical skills.
So, thank you again for all of the encouragement that you have brought to our family. If it were not for the hope of the Gospel, I could become very discouraged over my failures to train my daughters properly. Instead, I rejoice in God's gracious work in all of our lives and try to offer encouragement to any young homemaker that God brings across my path. I know that my daughters will do a much better job of training their daughters and thus another generation will be prepared to honor and serve God in the home.
