A peek inside: Are you wondering how to be a good steward of your time as a homemaker? We have to ask ourselves, “What does the Bible say about being a good steward?” This goes so much further than just proper time management, it’s about giving God our very best and allowing him to take the reins on our day. Join me, and let’s work on being good stewards of our time together!
Have you ever felt like time is moving so quickly, seasons are passing, changing and you want to make every second count?
If you are like me, this last year has made you think more and more about how you are spending your time.
Time is the most valuable resource we’ll be given in this life.
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When I First Began to Wonder about Being a Good Steward of Time
Hello! My name is Hannah and I am blessed with an amazing husband of 17 years and three wonderful kids: 1 high school, 1 junior high and 1 elementary. Before all three of my kids were in school, I stayed home with them. I have had little jobs in my home and outside my home, but my main focus has been on my family and homemaking.
As I watch the years go by, I’ve felt that the Lord is pressing on my heart to number my days, to steward my time well, to grow in wisdom and in truth.
Stewardship: the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property.
I think this challenge mainly has to do with how I am prioritizing my time. I have felt my heart crying out to the Lord in a desire not just for me, but for my family.
Am I making the most of every opportunity in every season of life, or am I just going through the motions of the day? Am I giving the Lord my best first and letting Him work in and through me? Am I careful of my choices? My family is watching and what kind of example am I setting?
>> Creating a Christian Family Mission Statement can be a great way to help your family focus on its values and goals.
A dear friend of mine lent me a book called “Margin” (by Richard A. Swenson MD) and it really made me think about the concept of creating space in my life, space in our family life, and the value that space has in the present and for the future.
This is what first led me to want to write this blog post. We only have so much time here. How are we spending it?
My Great Example
One of my favorite memories of my mom, who went to be with the Lord 17 years ago, was how she spent her time – how being with Jesus and growing in her knowledge and application of the Word in her life was clearly her top priority.
Most mornings I’d get out of bed and find her sitting in her rocker on our sun porch reading her Bible or praying. What a way to start your day!
I saw this daily choice impact her life and the legacy she left behind.
She died a couple months before my wedding and oh how I questioned God’s timing. At that time, I didn’t understand why God didn’t let her live to see my wedding, to meet my babies, and so many things I would have wanted to experience with her.
This set me on a course of learning and growing in God’s Word and spending time with Him as He teaches me about having a Kingdom focus.
I think I’ve struggled with loss in a lot of areas of life since losing my mom and most recently my focus has been treasuring the time God gives us – to not “lose” a second but to give God my seconds.
>>Read Choosing Joy through Grief.
Time is a Gift
With my kids getting older, and my husband and I getting older, I feel my focus is becoming more and more narrow. As I watch time passing, I realize it is such a gift!
>>Read more about the Seasons of Motherhood and how to be thankful in each one!
I think we are losing sight of that right now in our society. So many things fill our time: work, family life, school and church activities, friendship, social media, and technology to name some.
These can all be good things but can we prioritize them well if we don’t bring them before the Lord for His guidance?
There is so much focus on self that sometimes we forget that this life is not our own. God has given us a set amount of time here on earth and how we are stewarding it affects so many things.
>>This Simple Christian Fasting Guide for Beginners can help you determine if some things should be taken out of your daily life.
What Does The Bible Say About Being a Good Steward?
The time allowed in a year, a month, a week, a day, an afternoon to think, process, enjoy, delight – this can thrive when our life is lived through the lens of Scripture! With that in mind, take a look at the following scriptures and pray about what that means for your day.
- “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12.
- “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
- “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
- “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3
- “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
This is the first step to understanding how God would have us spend our time daily. If we choose Him above all things, He will determine our steps. Don’t miss Thrive as a Homemaker: a 7-day devotion to help you fall in love with your role!
How to be a Good Steward of Your Time as a Homemaker
I know– you’re thinking, “How could I possibly squeeze one more thing into my day?” Truthfully, it’s not about adding more– it’s about making sure your time is spent in a way that honors God.
Here are 4 Simple Tips for Being a Good Steward of Your Time:
1| Spend Time with God Each Morning
So first, are we spending time with Him? Some mornings, it feels quite tiring to get up early in the morning (sometimes while it’s still dark) to get in the Word and spend time in prayer, especially if I had been up in the night or went to bed late.
Oh how I want to, and I’m realizing this sets the priority for my day.
When God is first, then everything else seems to fall into place.
2| Establish a Good Morning Routine
A thriving morning routine is clutch. It sets the tone for your day and really helps you prioritize where your focus should be.
Want a free printable checklist to stay on track with your routines? Hop over to How to be an Efficient Homemaker and snag the freebie!
I think often of the verse in Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Here is my morning routine, I hope you can gain some inspiration from it:
- Bible for Quiet Time – Right now I’m working on reading through the Bible in one year. It’s such a challenge but I’m excited to be getting closer to finishing.
- Thankful Journal – I’ve started writing a thankful journal as well to help my mind stay fixed on all that God has done. This usually includes writing down a few sentences with what I’m thankful for, or a few thankful prayers.
- Planner – My monthly planner notebook has a calendar month, the weekly/daily sections to write in, a section for a running grocery list, and a section for a menu for the week. I also use a weekly calendar on the fridge. This helps me lay out for the family what our week looks like. I also have a dry erase monthly calendar with our family color-coded so each member has their own color.
- 6 “Most Important Things” List – I make two separate lists (drawn from my monthly to do’s or just things that come to mind for that day) in my notebook. (You could also put these in your planner if it has a weekly section.) My lists include 6 things that need to get done at home or with my family and 6 things that need to get done with my business for the day.
- Brain Dump – A list of items that need to get done at some point in the month. I add to it throughout the month, as more things come to mind.
3| Join in What God is Already Doing
I have a challenge for us today: Are we giving our time to the Lord knowing it’s not our own? Getting out that to do list, but then asking God to show us how He would have us spend our day?
Even just asking God to help us be flexible with our day – to realize that what we may call “interruptions” could be God at work! I believe this is a crucial component to living the life God has for us.
To enter into the work He is already doing, we have to be willing to do the thing Jesus asks in Matthew 16:24-26. “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?’”
I believe God puts people in our path for His purposes, but these important encounters sometimes get overlooked because I choose my own needs over God’s desires. Oh how He is sanctifying me in this area, and I’m praising the Lord for His grace that covers ALL our imperfections.
I’ve come to realize that disobedience is really just choosing self over the Lord’s best.
>>Read How to Get Over Yourself and Start Honoring God in Your Homemaking
In Matthew 22:36-37 we read about the disciples asking the question, “’Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
So the challenge here is to love God over everything else, and then we can know how to love others. When we focus on how we want the day to go, as opposed to what God would have for us, it can cloud our vision and hinder our actions.
>> Read A Quick Devotion on Selflessness for Homemakers
Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
How often are we thinking only of our own needs instead of other’s needs? God thought of us, He loved and showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
God has good works for us to do but we must daily lay our lives down before Him and ask that He show and lead us to the people He would have us interact with and the activities He would have us participate in.
4| Remember God Wins
Lastly, remember God’s sovereignty and the Kingdom. Be encouraged that He is in control! Keep running the race, looking to Him for all you need and all there is to do. He is Faithful!
I would love to leave you with these verses:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
May we grasp the magnitude of who God is so we can fear and revere His Holy and Precious Name and finish this race strong!
With love,
Hannah
More On How Homemakers Can Steward Time Well
If you enjoyed this post, you may like the following:
Homemaking Skills You Still Need Today (even though they’re old-fashioned) – Is it just us, or did our grandmas just know how to do everything better than we do? Take a page out of the older generation’s playbook and learn some old fashioned homemaking skills that are still relevant today!
10 Tips on How to be a Good Christian Mom – Check out these great qualities of Christian Moms and mother on!
Christian Homemaking | Intentional Christian Living for Women – Have you ever felt confused about what your role as a homemaker entails, or even means, for that matter? It seems that sometimes the thought of homemaking and the reality of homemaking can be completely different. In this post, we’re going to go over what it means to be a Christian Homemaker.
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Modern Homemaking for Christian Moms Ditch society’s lie that says you’re not meant to feel fulfilled as a wife, mom, and homemaker. Instead, start embracing these God-ordained steps as you honor Him with biblical homemaking.
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I was the only one awake last night crying and feeling so alone. I went to Pinterest and searched, “Toddler Mom Anxiety Bible” and this blog popped up. And what a blessing it was and is even this morning! I read an entry and then clicked on another and then another. And I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me through your words. Thank you for being an encouragement to moms to focus on the ultimate gift and giver-Jesus. ❤️
Thank you for sharing, Lindsey! We pray for women just like you to find a home here with us. It’s so important that we know there are others out there going through the same things <3 You are not alone.