A Woman's Responsibility

I headed on over to Proverbs 31 site today and they are doing a from chaos to calm challenge for women to help make their households happy places to be. There are devotions for each day and then challenges for each week. I came across one of the daily articles about how important it is for moms and wives to have cheerful dispositions every day, for it is their attitudes that set the tone for the entire household.

Here is the article.

I remember my mom waking me up each morning to get ready for school. She always came in my room and greeted me with a bright "Good Morning!" and a happy smile. How do you wake up each morning?

Women have the power to change the atmosphere in their homes. I am sure you have heard the saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" If you wake up each morning feeling ill, unpleasant, expecting the worst, dreading your chores, irritated with your husband, or tired of training your children, you set yourself up (as well as your husband and children) for a bad day.

Despite what may have taken place yesterday, you can choose to wake up today with a merry heart and a cheerful attitude.

If you and your husband had an argument before bed and you fretted all night, do not despair! Decide to wake your husband up with a sweet kiss, a gentle back rub, and a sincere apology for any misunderstandings the night before.

If your children have been out of control and you feel stressed and at your wit's end, do not despair! Choose today to focus on them, to find solutions to your discipline problems, and train them in the way they should go. Be pleasant. Speak with a soft voice. Breathe in and out to relax your muscles when you feel tense.

Perhaps you feel you have no real reason to smile. Smile anyway! Rejoice in the Lord, for He is good! That should be enough of a reason to smile. Pray about your attitude if you find that you have a tendency to be sour. Ask God each morning to help you be a cheerful woman of God.

A Christian has no business being depressed all of the time. Unfortunately many Christian women find themselves not happy. I feel that society has placed ideals in women's minds that cause them to feel dissatisfied with their lives. This should not be so! If you find that you are sad and not sure why, ask God to lead you to peace in your heart. Sometimes our circumstances are not exactly the way we would like. However, it is okay. Learn to be okay with yourself, with your husband, and with your home.

Ask God for wisdom in dealing with your everyday circumstances. And choose to be happy. Do not allow other people, uncontrollable events, or lack of material possesions influence your choice to be happy in the Lord. Have you ever seen a child who was terminally ill? Or a person who was unable to care themselves, who in all their pain and suffering still had joy in their hearts? You can be like that too.

Whether you wish the laundry would go away or the bathrooms would clean themselves or your children would stop bickering you can still be happy. It is a blessing to have clothing for your family. It is a blessing to have a home with indoor plumbing. It is a blessing to have children. Stop looking at them like they are a curse! Choose to be happy!

"A cheerful Christian leaves the world a brighter and better place each night because (s)he has reflected the cheeful and radiant beams of Christ's righteousness. A smile is contagious and brightens the lives of all with the circle of one's influence. But a sour disposition and a frown on the face can change the moral climate of a home or an office. A kind word can lift up the wounded spirit but an unkind word can leave the human spirit crushed."-Morning Manna, Adlai A Esteb, 1962.

If there is chaos in your home, you, as wife and mother, are responsible. Depsite the chaos your husband may bring into the home, you have the power through Christ to change the lives of your family. It is up to you to determine a better life for them. Yelling, crying, frustration, irritation, anger, resentment, bitterness, depression have no place in a Christian home. And while there will be days when you do succumb to the pressures of life, with Christ by your side you can have a happy home on most days. No one is perfect, but as we walk in faith and grow in faith, those days should be come fewer and further between.

So, remember, wake up early each morning and have your devotion. Greet your family with a smile, a hug, and a kiss. Aches and pains and hurting hearts should be taken to Jesus during your Morning Manna time. Do not take them to your family. Let them see your joy in the Lord and they will begin to reflect that same cheerful spirit.

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22