The Gospel of Being a Housewife

Yesterday was beautiful.

The sky was super clear, so I braved the cold in my long black winter coat (er, duster lol) and my way too big sunglasses.

(The perks of being nearly forty and forgetting to care).

I spent the walk praying and meditating, just being thankful that my legs were moving, I was breathing in fresh air, and that God has never given up on me.

But there was something niggling in my heart that I’d like to write down here.

The other day, I read something about what it means to be a Biblical woman. I’ve seen this often: posts that boast of more traditional family roles–how being a woman of God means staying home with your kids and how this is far superior to working outside the home.

And I’d like to address this topic as a former atheist feminist who is continuously learning to submit every single inch of herself to our Lord and has lived several different lives before finally bending my knee to our supreme and sovereign God.

All I know is this: He was with me every moment.

• He was with me when He asked me to go back to work because my husband and I had gotten ourselves into $70,000 of debt.
• He was with me as I worked and received calls from my daughter’s principal nearly every single day that she was acting up again.
• He was with me during the ADHD diagnosis and while praying whether medication was the right path for our daughter.
• He was with me when He put the seed in my heart to come home and homeschool our daughter (something that was NEVER on my radar).
• He was with me as I struggled to submit to Him as a wife and mother working in the home and doing something I had vowed to never EVER do.

Ultimately, I’m writing this because it would be very easy for a fellow sister to feel shame if I, too, touted the gospel of being a housewife. Life just isn’t that black and white, and there are a million different ways God uses to sanctify us (something truly evidenced in Scripture).

And I wouldn’t trade a moment of my heart change for anything.

It’s easy to idolize a certain kind of life, and I certainly am not saying being at home isn’t a blessing. It has truly become one for me because I get to write these words, homeschool my daughter, and laugh with my husband in the kitchen (who now works from home, too).

But ultimately? God is in the hard parts when you second-guess yourself and nothing looks Facebook-perfect. So, to those women who are working right now, who might have that desire in their hearts to come home and feel like maybe they aren’t “Christian” enough because they’re not living for the Lord from the comfort of their kitchens right now, just know none of that is the point.

The point is that Jesus loves you. He died and suffered for you and was raised on the third day to eternally wash away your sins. He sees you. And it doesn’t matter what anyone believes is the “right” way to live your life. The only thing that matters is where the Holy Spirit is leading you right this very second.

And that, my friends, is the ultimate way to live.