simply homemaker

Before I turned 21, I never wanted to be a homemaker.

I was in business school and the president of the undergraduate business consulting club. I just finished a summer internship at one of the largest companies in the world. I got a return offer before my senior year even started, and I was planning to go back.

At a women’s tea event at church, when I was enthusiastically sharing about my dream to write a book about non-profits, all I received was blank stares. And when I asked those around me “What is your passion?”, the common answer I received was “Well… my husband and kids.”

I remember thinking “Where in the world am I?”

So when I signed up for a women’s Bible study at my church and realized at the first meeting that everyone in the group was either a stay at home mom or a stay at home grandmother, the thought that crossed my mind was: “Oh no.”

Yet over the course of the year, meeting with these women week by week, something changed in my heart.

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I think to talk about what homemaking is, we have to start with what homemaking is not.

Homemaking is not hosting.

Hosting is such a beautiful part of homemaking. The beautiful candlelight, the glossy candle holders, the feast on the table, the delicious homecooking. But that is not homemaking.

Homemaking is not home decorations.

Most homes do not actually look like Hobby Lobby. Nutritious food can be served, ungarnished, on IKEA plates. Gardens can have fruit trees and herbs instead of roses and hydrangeas. There might actually always be a big pile of dishes, clean or unclean, in the sink.

Homemaking is not a trend.

For thousands of years, women have run their homes like CEOs would run their businesses. Where are our finances? What are our routines and rhythms? What are our holiday policies? How do we treat people in the home and create a culture of respect, love, and helpfulness? For many, homemaking is a life strategy that holds things together, submitted to God to yield the fruits of faithfulness.

And finally, homemaking is not easy.

I think social media has made homemaking seem quite… seamless. To be fair, it has been made much easier over the years. The availability and prices of clothing have reduced the need to sew and mend. Washers and dryers eliminate the existence of hanging strings in the front yard. Dish washers (my personal favorite) become a norm in even the most economical household.

But still, homemaking remains an art that is worth undertaking. The sheer amount of clothing asks for new storage strategies. Chemicals and preservatives in packaged foods make us question our entire pantry. The lack of space and safety in neighborhoods create the new need for library trips, play dates, and drives to the park, which add many minutes to the day.

The hurry of life makes it a feat to bring everyone to the table for a meal.

Homemaking has never been easy, for as the decades change, there are new challenges to creating a beautiful, functional, and fruitful life.

So what is homemaking?

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At this Bible study, I started getting to know the homemakers.

The daily joys of seeing their children grow in life skills and knowledge.

The coming and going of older in-laws and grandparents to visit and have parties.

The recipes, the bedtime routines, the weekly Sunday guests, the friends.

The tears of at-times frustration and the quiet submitting it all to God.

The deeply rooted knowledge of His presence in the midst of the mundane.

I realized that homemaking is so much more. So much bigger, broader, and grander. Confined usually to inside the walls of a home, but reaching to the ends of the earth as their humans go out and bring the aroma of the knowledge of Christ to people who have know experienced it.

After all, the best part of any adventure is getting to come home.

Homemaking is the beginning of civilizations, the practice of becoming Christ-like, the warmth of being known, and the desire for a world that knows love in its simplest form.

So today, friends, I am excited to bring you along on the journey of diving deeper into the art of homemaking.

Where are you now? What does your home look like? What does it feel like? Let’s start there and write some notes down. Then grab a cup of tea, and we’ll keep going.

Love,

Tram