Whether it be in business, finances, churches or even the home, if there is poor management it is obvious.
A poorly managed business will lack quality and customer service all while the bottom-line of profits disappear. A poorly run business will eventually go bankrupt.
Good management will reflect in the attitude of the employees, product and profit. It is a business that will grow, meet needs and evolve with changing times.
A poorly managed church will lack harmony and fruit. The members will look to man, programs and their own works to build its membership. There will be constant strife and church splits. Their budgets and people will be exhausted or complacent.
Godly leadership will humbly lead its members in Biblical holiness and not measure growth in numbers or programs, but rather in spiritual fruit and loving their neighbor.
Poorly managed finances will lead to debt, discontentment and chaos. This will almost always lead to relationship problems on every level.
A well managed budget will make the most of every penny to multiply it and use it to serve others while remembering we are stewards of God’s money.
And now the point of this post.
A poorly managed home will lack order, peace, love and beauty.
- This will be a home where people want to flee rather than gather, rest or work.
- It is usually a home of angry and disconnected people.
- It is a home that does not meet the needs of its family or neighbors.
A well managed home is not a place of perfection nor problem free, but rather a place where there is a good manager and love abides.
A well managed home is where people know their duty and are trained to do their duty well. Skills and attitude are important!
A well managed home is where love covers a multitude of sin and grace abounds, while also holding each other accountable.
A well managed home will equip its people to go out and be honest and hard working … doers of good.
A well managed home is a place where its people can come to rest and be recharged. They are recharged and challenged to get up and face the next day’s tasks.
What to know what is really cool?
Homes that are managed well will raise up its people to establish more homes that are well managed…
which will be reflected in the churches…
communities…
and workplace.
It is a glorious and victorious cycle!
It truly does begin at home…
a well managed home.
The problem is, its difficult to manage a home when the heart is divided and we lose sight of what we are commanded to do. (Titus 2:5, 1 Timothy 5:14)
Sometimes it is a heart going astray and being distracted by the promise of wealth or acknowledgment, rarely do these happen in the home. Most Americans don’t truly value a well managed home, if we did more women would take it seriously and train up their children to do the same.
Sometimes it is a lack in training our children or the lack of follow through… don’t expect what you don’t inspect! (Raising my hand on this one.)
Sometimes it is a lack of training in ourselves, whether it be in skills or self-control. Most of us spent our childhood away from home most of the day and were not given proper responsibilities growing up so when we got our own houses we were at a loss of what to do.
Sometimes it is PURE LAZINESS. We don’t want to take the responsibility to manage our home, train the children, be frugal, plan meals, give love, show forgiveness, resolve conflicts, etc…
Good home management is
HARD WORK!
Confession: I become angry when things start to spin out of control in the house. This is when I start to point out where everyone else is failing, where the chores are not being done, where people just seem not to care, I can be a first class martyr.
BUT the reality is… they are failing because I HAVE FAILED, I have failed in my management of the home. This is when the nagging begins. There is no love in nagging and strife.
Ways to Manage Our Homes Better
- Clear the Calendar of Clutter
Seriously, this is the most important thing you can do. Get out of everything that is not absolutely necessary. Get out of activities that divide the family on a regular basis. Yes, there are seasons of unexpected crisis, family celebrations (weddings, births, etc…) and short term sports teams, we need to allow flexibility for those kinds of things. But if you spend the majority of your life jumping from one activity to another and neglecting the harmony of the home you are doing more harm than good and you are bringing shame ( blaspheme) on the word of God. (Titus 2:5)
- Clear the Home of Clutter
Less is more if you are struggling with orderliness and cleanliness. The less you have to take care of, the more time you will have to keep it orderly. This also frees you up to do more purposeful and even fun things!
Kids do not need a ton of toys. And none of us need closets packed with clothes… keep it simple. Will people remember you for what you wore and the car you drove or will they remember how you loved God and cared for others? Don’t let your stuff be a burden.
- Clear the Heart of Clutter
Don’t worry about keeping up with the Jones’ or Pinterest. Find your own style, be productive, serve people. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.
Get Enlightened, Equipped and Encouraged!
- Know Who you are working for, even when no one else notices! Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. Ephesians 6:7
- Know your duty, do your duty.
- Read good homemaking books.
- Learn organization, shopping and cleaning skills, then teach it to your children.
- Make friends with other women who love being homemakers.
- Consider your home’s atmosphere as of the family’s oxygen.
- Remember your home is just as important as any mission base in any country.
If you are busy managing your home and looking out for the welfare of those God brings to you, you won’t have time to do all the things that rob you of your time, peace, productivity and joy.
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“…to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Titus 2:5
“So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.” 1 Timothy 5:14
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6: 10-11
“She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home…” Proverbs 7:11
