What does it mean to “build my house”? Jennifer shares a great challenge to us today to be intentional in our homes. Enjoy!
A wise woman builds her house… Proverbs 14:1
Six little words.
Simple words, at that.
Most containing only one syllable.
But this little phrase is a powerful launch pad for wise moms who want to be homebuilders.
First, did you catch the word builds? It's an action word, to be sure. A “get-up-and-go” kind of word.
Not a “sit-back-and-relax” one.
God uses this single word to speak to my heart about the intentionality of homebuilding.
If I were literally building a house, I would first need a plan. What will it look like when it's complete? What materials will I need? How much help does this task require? What do I need to learn before I can start? What's the first step? And the one after that? And all the ones to follow?
I should be no less intentional about building my figurative “house” — my family and the lives of my children. I should be even more vigilant about planning to build…
my marriage,
our family relationships,
my children's character,
their faith,
their love for God and others…
So how do I go about being an intentional homebuilder?
Well, first it's critical to remember is that a homebuilder must first be a self-builder.
Now before you get the wrong idea, I'm not referring to a vain, self-centered, me-first kind of self-building. I'm talking about a purposeful, Christ-centered, God-first kind of self-building. Colossians 2:6-7 state:
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
A homebuilder must be rooted in Him before she can nurture the roots of others.
She must be built up in Him before she can build others in Him.
And she must be firmly established in the faith before she can assist in establishing others.
A weak woman could never build a house. Nor can she build a home. A homebuilder must be strong. And if we want to be strong enough to be homebuilders, we must spend time with the Master Architect, faithfully studying the Ultimate Blueprint, and tapping into the ultimate Source of strength.
A second crucial aspect of intentional homebuilding is that homebuilders are busy with the best things. If I'm too busy for the best things, I'm missing valuable opportunities to build my house.
So what are the best things?
God's Word is the place to start looking for answers to this critical question.
When is the last time you examined your schedule in light of what God prioritizes in the Bible?
- Teaching God's commands diligently to your children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
- Or faithfully managing your home and family (Proverbs 31).
- And caring for the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:30).
- And what about looking after orphans and widows (James 1:27)?
- Or using your spiritual gifts to minister to others in Christ's Church (Romans 12:3-8).
- And meeting with other believers regularly for the express purpose of encouraging and spurring each other on toward love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Dear friend, when we allow ourselves to be distracted by trivial things, we're cheating ourselves out of precious opportunities to build our houses. Specific opportunities at specific times and specific places…that may not come our way again.
There are no magic formulas to godly homebuilding. No quick fixes. No instant gratification to be had.
But if you and I will spend time with the One who will build us up in our faith…
and then do those best things He tells us to do…
we'll be well on our way to being effective homebuilders, for His glory.
Father, We thank you for the high and noble calling of homebuilding. A calling that is significant. A calling that matters…now and in eternity. Please help us to build our relationships with You so we are equipped to point others to You. Please help us to examine our schedules, eliminating activities or habits that are less than Your best. Please show us what priorities You want us to have for our families, and enable us to put those into action. And Lord, we're mindful that unless You build our houses, we're laboring in vain (Psalm 127:1). And so we ask You to build our houses, using us as You see fit, by Your grace. In Your precious Son's name, Amen.
Jennifer Clarke is a loving child of Almighty God, adoring wife, and homeschooling mother of three. She is active in teaching and music ministries in her local church, and passionate about encountering her Savior, and encouraging other women to do the same. You can visit Jennifer at A Divine Encounter or on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.
Ginger Barber says
Thank you for this timely post. I really needed to read it.
Jennifer Clarke says
You’re welcome, Ginger! I’m glad it was a blessing to you. God has used this Scripture to work in my heart as well. Thank you for reading, and for sharing! Blessings to you!