Learn to create a renewed home, internally and physically, that is centered on Christ alone. Learn to manage your home efficiently, while keep an eternal perspective.
Examine Your Home and Intent
Before you can make any changes to manage your home well, you must pause and have an examination of intent, an examination of your “why”. You must look inside at your rooted intent for caring for and managing your home. Ask yourself:
- What is most important about my home? (not in)
- Is the design and usage of my home focused on God approval, or worldly approval? (to share online, be “Pinterest worthy”, centered around decoration, continuously adding more things for fulfillment, etc.)
- On a scale of 1-10, how well do you care for your home? (keeping it clean, organized, appliances and belongings cared for (well kept), making what you have last, fixing up things that are broken verses buying new, etc.)
Your Home is a True Blessing
In order to prepare for our eternal home, we must prepare our physical home. The home (apartment, duplex, condo, etc.), the space God has provided you with, is a blessing. Whether your home needs many renovations, is too small, or is just a temporary solution, IT IS A BLESSING.
We must first lay down our desire and “dream” to have the “perfect home”. The home God has provided each of us with AT THIS CURRENT TIME, may not always be ideal, but is given to us to be a good steward of. If you are caught up with always planning, pinning, or dreaming of a new home, you:
- won’t be able to care for the one you have as God intends you to do.
- will lose thankfulness for what God has blessed you with.
- and will cause you to fall into the sin of discontentment and greed.
When you have the mindset that everything you have belongs to God, you are able to see things in a new light. NOTHING we have can be taken to Heaven with us, so I pray we don’t fixate . Instead of thinking about what we could have, let’s think about what God wants us to do with our blessings. How can we use our home, our current blessing, to bless others?
Steps to a Christ Centered and Well Managed Home
1. Remove all things in your home causing you to sin.
Go around your home, and remove or hide anything that is causing you to sin. When I say hide, I mean ask someone to hide or store the items to keep you accountable.
EXAMPLES TO REMOVE OR HIDE:
- Posters, pictures, images that are inappropriate
- jokes, sayings, scantily dressed people, celebrities, anyone or anything that is an idol
- We can often make idols of things / people without realizing, if it is a priority over God and your time with Him, it is an idol
- jokes, sayings, scantily dressed people, celebrities, anyone or anything that is an idol
- Computers / technology devices
- Designate specific times when you can use your phone / computer / tablet, so you don’t get caught up in scrolling and becoming idle.
- Have an accountability partner hide remotes, tablets, or computers during the day if the TV is an issue.
- If you struggle with sexual sins, make it imperative that you use your technology time around someone else – preferably someone who can help you stay accountable. Look into accountability apps as well such as Accountable2You or CovenantEyes
- Coupons or ads
- Throw away coupons, ads, or any other “incentive” offer that will cause you to be discontent. If you struggle with materialism, remove all emails with offers, new products, and constant reminders at you “should buy”.
- Apps on your devices
- Remove any app on your phone, tablet, computer, electronic devices that are causing you to sin. Apps causing you to be lustful, materialistic, idolaters (look at who you follow), news channels or sources causing you to lose faith and trust in God, or any apps causing you to scroll, waste time, and keep you from caring for you home.
2. Simplify Your Home to the Essentials
One time a day, for 30 days, organize and declutter a small space. This could be a cabinet, cupboard, drawer, closet, room, tote, etc. Download the “Homemaker’s Helping Hand Planner” to print off the 30 Day Declutter Challenge page to help you keep track!
3. Fill Out / Review Your Homemaking Action Plan
Download the “Homemaker’s Helping Hand Planner” if you haven’t already. I did update the planner to include pages for the 2024 year. The updated version was emailed out to everyone who has already downloaded the planner.
Start by filling out the Homemaker’s Action Plan page if you haven’t already. If you filled this page out previously, review it, and update it as needed. The purpose of this page is to help you determine your priorities in homemaking. Try to evaluate what you are doing during your day and week that can go. Tasks, projects, or distractions that are not bringing you closer to eternal salvation.
4. Put it to Prayer
Your day should be full of prayer and praise, as that is how we grow our relationship with God. However, “Put it to Prayer” is a separate prayer asking God for the strength, energy, motivation, and help in order to put your plans for homemaking into action.
No matter how hours you spend planning and filling out the planner, your homemaking work hasn’t yet to be accomplished. And no matter the amount of work you put into organizing and sorting out “what needs to get done” in order to have a well managed home, nothing is going to help you more than prayer.
Prayer is often very overlooked and often a last resort because it involves us letting go of control. With prayer, we are putting our wants, needs, and requests into HIS hands. This is far more precious than any planner, or anything we could do to help ourselves. Pray often, pray boldly, and ask for God to assist you on your homemaking journey. This will make the biggest difference in your days of homemaking.
Lord, help me today as I serve my family and serve others. Help me to do Your will good and gracious God. For your love, mercy, and forgiveness is all that I need. Grant me strength, O Lord, that I may be able to serve with a heart of servant. That I may give without wanting to receive, care for others without bitterness, and live today with a heart of flesh and not stone. Help me to be like You, O Lord, for you are great, and your works are glorious indeed. I pray that you would help me to have energy, strength, motivation, desire, and passion to do Your work, and Your work alone. We praise you in everything we have, and the many blessings we continue to receive. Amen.
5. Organize for a Christ Centered Home
Step 5 really encompasses steps 1-4, and put them into action. Instead of planning and preparing, you are going to be doing! You have prepared your home, both internally and externally to be centered around Christ, and our eternal home in Heaven. Let God work through you as you step into your day. Let Him move you and guide you, so you can do His work, and the tasks He has planned for you today.
Read Christian Homemaking 101 for a more detailed look at organizing your priorities, schedule, and home.
If you are someone who struggles with being lazy or idle, watch the video below, and pray that God can speak to you through these Scriptures shared.
SHOP
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