Have you ever felt like all you do is clean up the house??? Have you ever asked yourself “What is the difference between being “homemaker” or just simply being a housekeeper?
I have heard both terms used seemingly interchangeable —and while housekeeping is part of our job description as homemakers, I believe being a homemaker is much more than simply housekeeping. Homemaking is everything that goes into making a house a home...
The biggest job, it seems, we associate with homemakers is the house cleaning...However, you can have a spotless house and still be terrible at homemaking. While a good homemaker will likely have a clean and tidy home (at least, most of the time), she strives to go beyond those duties and will focus on creating an atmosphere of love, peace, and safety in the home. She will nurture the people she loves within that house.
A lot of women I know clean houses for a living. They will tell you when they arrive to clean a house, they come ready to clean. They already have a plan/strategy of attack. Often, if their employers are home that day and are talkative, or the employer’s kids are out of school for the day, running around the house, it will throw their whole cleaning schedule off. They aren’t there for to spend time chatting with their employers or to play games with their employer’s children— They aren’t there to fix dinner, to talk through issues, to make sure each child is being showed the attention he/she needs that day... that’s not their job. They are just there to clean that house!
A housekeeper’s duties are usually stay focused entirely on the house. She is focused on keeping/getting that home in tip-top shape whether that involves cleaning, organizing, fixing things around the home, doing laundry, and so on. A housekeeper is just there to do a job and knows exactly what needs to be done each time they enter the home. A homemaker, on the other hand generally will place a priority on caring for her family and those around her, over just adhering to a strict cleaning schedule. Homemakers care about all the emotional and spiritual aspects of the home such as teaching their children Biblical truths, spending time together as a family and making sure each member of the family is well cared for. There is no “set in stone” schedule. A homemaker may be cooking one minute and then bandaging a child’s boo-boo the next. She may be scrubbing the floor then quickly distracted by the sound of a ringing doorbell. A homemaker wears many hats and has many roles in her home...It’s a 24/7/365 job that she doesn’t “check out” of at the end of the day.
Housekeeping by itself doesn’t leave the four walls of your home...If you were to go on a vacation with your family, just “keeping the house” before you left would make sure that your house was clean and tidy upon your return. If you are just the housekeeper of your house, this job will mainly pause when you walk out of the door for your vacation.
In contrast, a homemaker, lives by the mantra “home is where my family is.” When her family goes on vacation, a good homemaker will turn wherever they decide to go into a little slice of home. She will care for her family and tend to their every need even when they are away from their physical “home” address. It’s part of her —it’s who she is!
Homemaking is a skill that can be taught/learned but ultimately, it comes from the heart. You must desire to please God. You must desire to love and serve your family. You must be selfless. Sometimes, it is really is an exhausting, thankless, never ending job, but always remember, the rewards are eternal!!
Housekeeping — “keeping the house” Homemaking — “making a home”
Because homemaking isn’t just about keeping a tidy house, Homemaking is something we do on a more spiritual level, while housekeeping alone is simply temporal. Godly homemakers will work to make their homes a place of peace and refuge for their husband and their children—a place where the Word of God is taught and learned— a place where the Spirit of the Lord can abide.
The difference between housekeeping and homemaking is your motivation and your perspective. Keeping a neat and tidy home provides a pleasant atmosphere for your family and friends to enjoy. Housekeeping is an act of servitude and love you do for your family as part of your homemaking. Because you love your family and you want them to feel peaceful, safe and loved while at home, you do these housekeeping chores to serve them.
Being Godly homemaker is so important! We actually demonstrate the gospel through every act of homemaking we do. When you think of homemaking, you may think of all the chores that seem to never end in your home—Like dishes, sweeping, laundry, tidying up, and cleaning the bathroom, etc...and I know it seems, in today’s society, homemaking and caring for your household is often looked down on as a lesser profession for us women.
But in actuality, we are fulfilling one of the highest callings!!
Be encouraged, dear sisters, Jesus, himself, came to serve – not to be served. The ministry of homemaking demonstrates the very heart of Jesus through ministering to and caring for those within the wall of your home. That’s what Biblical homemaking is really about.
Matthew 20:28 — Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
I believe striving to be a Godly homemaker is an opportunity for me to live a rich and abundant life with Christ while serving my family. I want to enjoy life with my husband, I want to modeling Godly living for my children. I want them to see Mommy with the joy of the Lord while I serve them and their daddy on a daily basis. I don’t want them to see me always complaining, always disgruntled, about how hard I have it...I want them to see the Jesus in me. I want them to know that I “enjoy” taking care of them, their daddy and our home. I want to bless my husband by joyfully making our house a home!!!
I guess what I’m trying to say is the main difference between homemaking and housekeeping lies in our purpose. Housekeeping could simply be all about cleaning and making a space tidy. ( While I strive to keep a clean and tidy home, my most important goal is to make my house a home.)
You may have heard of “someone taking a house and making it a home”. Homemaking is vital to a good home !! Without it, a house can feel empty and cold. Without housekeeping, you have utter chaos... Both homemaking and housekeeping go hand in hand... kinda like how the Bible talks about faith and works— you must have both. We get saved by faith, not of works—but because we are saved, we do works! It takes both !!
Homemaking will turn that house into a home. There is where the big difference lies...A house is just the four walls you live inside. A home is full of love and peace. Housekeeping is just tending to the house. Homemaking to tending to your family!!
A Godly homemaker’s purpose lies in nurturing her family. So even when her house isn’t exactly in tip-top shape, if her family is feeling loved unconditionally, safe and protected, and cared for, that homemaker has succeeded in making her home a special place—a place of peace, a place of quiet rest.
Isaiah 32:18—And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
While normal housekeeping chores also fall into the homemaker category, a Godly homemaker should always tend to the emotional and spiritual well being of her family first. If she must, she will stop cleaning or cooking in order to take care of more important needs when they arise.
Godly homemaking is actually a ministry in itself —It is a precious and noble act of service to God and to your family. A woman, who is striving to be a Godly homemaker, is, in reality, selflessly serving those she loves the most, while fulfilling the calling of God for her life...
A woman with a heart after God realizes her mission in life is to instill a love for God and His Word into her children. She recognizes that her children are watching her example. It’s more than just taking them to church and telling them Bible stories...It is everyday training!! A lot of times, our attitudes and our actions/reactions actually train our kids more than our words ever do. Our poor attitude or our moods of discontentment, grumpiness, irritability, anger, and unhappiness in our homes are showing our kids that we aren’t enjoying the role God has placed us in. We aren’t being grateful for the blessings God has given us. Our attitude may even carry over in our children. If Mama didn’t enjoy homemaking, and was constantly stressed and disgruntled, chances are her daughter won’t enjoy it either when she becomes a wife and mom...We often learn by example!! That’s why it is so imperative that we allow God to renew our minds as wives/mothers!! Our kids must see strong, happy, victorious examples of Biblical, Godly living!! It’s not a drudgery to do things the Bible way!! It is joy unspeakable, and full of Glory!!
By accepting the calling of God in our lives and embracing Godly homemaking, we can have true peace and contentment through Him!! Yes, things may not always be easy and sometimes, it may be a lot of hard work, but the rewards are endless!! And God gives special grace to us women, I believe!!
So to me, Godly homemaking is all about creating a peaceful place for your family to abide —preparing a home for the Spirit of God to be dwell in!!
-Tiphanie 💕
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