Household despot

Part of being a housewife is taking dominion of the home - read Nancy Wilson on that. So I've been thinking about my little kingdom, with it's 3 short subjects and the king I am responsible to. Everything that happens under my watch is a decision I make - either to do or not to do something. So if something goes undone, it's not just passively ignoring or procrastinating, but a choice to NOT do that chore. OK, I confess there are lots of things that I choose not to do, like ironing, that come back to bite me in the bud.

That said, a wife needs to be careful about how she manages her dominion. She may be the queen bee after all, but the queen still answers to the king (her husband). So how her home is run and managed can be a good picture of her relationship with her heavenly Lord, Jesus. Is the decorating really swank but it's essentially a pig pen once you peel back the pretty veneer? Or is there a humble yet beautiful atmosphere that permeates throughout the home? What really matters? The people in it or the fab dinner or Pottery Barn trappings?

Need I place Martha Stewart before us as an example? Great looking rooms, gourmet meals, but she landed her butt in jail because of a less-than-stellar moral code (and came out wearing a poncho!!)

I encourage all wives and future-wives to spend some time thinking about the relationship between home upkeep and atmosphere with their personal relationship with Christ. The external is a branch off from the inner heart. I'm not saying that our homes need to be spartanly decorated with plain white walls and serve bread and broth for supper. On the contrary, because we are Christians our homes should reflect the beauty and magnificence of our King. And should bless others. Our kids are blessed at dinner time whenever we light candles. They think candles mean we're having a feast, even if it's grilled cheese sandwiches.