Bottom line, we don't trust God. We don't trust God for women to leave their jobs and go home to raise their children, take care of their homes, and serve their husbands. "If we don't work, we will starve." Yet, God tells us He will supply our needs. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but we still worry.
Marilee Horton quit her high-powered career to go home and take care of her home, husband, and children. The family immediately lost a half of their income, yet she writes the following ~
"With all the wisdom that God promises to supply us with to make the best use of our money and talent, we must not forget that what He is mainly trying to teach us is to trust in Him. Our family lies in a town of seven colleges, one of them being a Christian college housing a seminary/bible institute. One thing taught in these institutions of higher learning with emphasis on Christianity is that, whether preparing for the pastorate, the mission field, or education and business, you must trust God. Trust Him to lead you into the right area of ministry, trust Him to guide you as you serve, and trust Him to supply your needs.
The things that astounds me is that while these men are in class learning these wonderful truths, they are sending their wives out to work to pay for them to learn how to trust God. Why? "There is no way I could go to school if she didn't work." It is rare to find a couple completely looking to God to provide a way to earn the money needed without always answering the prayer by sending the wife out to work....Couples called by God to the life of faith have thrilling stories to tell of God's supernatural supply so that mother doesn't have to leave her children. Sometimes it involves part-time work of babysitting, typing, or needlework. {Today, the options are endless with the Internet!} Sometimes it involves a miracle."
She began living frugally, never wasting any food, being content at home, and finding all sorts of ways to save money. She figured out that saving a dime instead of spending it on something not truly needed was the best antidote to inflation. Her greatest weapon was prayer. She consistently asked God for wisdom and He provided it abundantly.
"Oh, but today is much different in the past. Women have to work." God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He commands women with children to be keepers at home, you step out in faith knowing He is your provider and you trust Him. I have readers who say they don't own a TV, cable, drive old cars, etc. so they can be home training and loving their children full-time. Yes, there is sacrifice but there is much more sacrifice to the family unit for a mother to leave her home and children for hours every day. {And no, the Proverbs 31 woman did not have a "career" that caused her to leave her home for hours every day.} What God commands of us, He richly supplies the means to obey.
But my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Logging you in...
Cynthia · 574 weeks ago
Are there situations where this needs to be balanced against 2 Thessalonians 3:10?
The Retro Homemaker · 574 weeks ago
TMichelle · 574 weeks ago
Amanda Lou · 574 weeks ago
Thank you Lori for encouraging women to go back to the Word of God, and apply God's wisdom.
Guest · 574 weeks ago
He once wanted me to work, and insisted upon it. I was exhausted and there was little energy left for me to serve my husband and little ones. Slowly, the Lord changed my husband's mind and supernaturally moved us so that I was forced to quit my job.
He is faithful!
Loving been his wife · 574 weeks ago
I don't judge Mama's for working I don't know their circumstances only they and God knows.
However as for us God has been so good to us!
Do we go on fantastic holiday NO? Do we live in a big home NO? Do we have two cars NO?
Do I wear designer clothes only if my wonderful Sister passes them down; (she is a career girl married with no children) I love her heaps!
However we have a love abundant between me and my precious Hubby that others envy; we have 3 wonderful children (two I gave birth to and our bonus son Timothy; Johanna's Hubby), we may not have money a plenty but we do have love a plenty? Holidays can be wonderful spent at home with the family, lazy days playing games with the kiddo's, picnics, barbeque....and the list can go on! I guess what I am trying to say is that we have had a wonderful life and God has provided all the way; trusting God is the best! I look forward to the next stage of life!
Loving been his wife · 574 weeks ago
Buddy Federer · 574 weeks ago
helen · 574 weeks ago
Blessings
Helen UK
Cynthia Swenson · 574 weeks ago
Emily · 574 weeks ago
Jill York · 574 weeks ago
Shelley Payton · 574 weeks ago
I'm lucky because my husband is educated and that always helps when it comes to finding a job that pays well, but I know for a fact that if he had to, he would work two full-time minimum wage jobs doing anything, even if it was scrubbing toilets. We have a house payment, car payment, medical bills to pay off, a huge grocery bill every month for a family of 5 (soon to be 6, and we live in an area where housing is cheap but food is ridiculously expensive). A second income would probably really help us get on top of things but we're doing just fine. I think a few things make this possible:
1. It's what my husband and I both want, and when you want something you make it work.
2. We hardly ever buy new.
3. I'm not the type of girl who goes and gets her hair and nails done or spends a lot of money on makeup. My husband likes my hair long so it stays long, he likes the color so I don't color it, getting my nails done would be great but its an expensive waste, and the eyeliner I buy for $1 works better than the stuff I used to buy for $12.
4. We rarely eat out.
5. My husband has a smart phone provided for him by work, I just have a regular cell phone.
6. No cable TV, Satellite, Netflix, Hulu, ect.
7. Gas is expensive, we don't take long trips for no reason.
I could go on but all of these things actually save a lot of money. I don't really consider these things much of a sacrifice even though pretty much everyone I know has/does these things. I think if some people made a list of all the things they are doing that are just wants and not needs, and added that up, they'd suddenly find that eliminating those things would save a significant amount of money and they might be able to stay home, if not full time than at least part time. Plus consider all the money you save on not paying for child care, work clothing, lunches out, commute, ect.
Robin J Cox · 574 weeks ago
Thankfully, we both learned a lot. I learned to appreciate his hard work and his position as provider, and he learned that if I was working almost full-time (35-50 hours a week at very odd hours, taking our children with me at the last job), then our home's tidiness, our meals and the attention I could give him and our own children suffered a lot. I learned to truly depend upon God and my husband, and my husband learned that he is a lot more peaceful and our children are more joyful when I'm at home full-time. When the time was right, God made it impossible for me to continue working outside of our home, and both my husband and I are so grateful for this.
I think it is important that we wives obey our own husbands if they ask us to work outside of the home, trusting God that He will bring us home again if we are prayerful and submissive to God and our husband. I think many Christian women are working outside of the home because their husbands asked them to; I also know many Christian women who have careers because they want to, and they chose to do so.
So, I disagree with you in that area, because many Christian women use the same reasoning that the world does: "Times have changed. A couple NEEDS two incomes now", and statements like this. Many Christian wives that I know believe that what they are doing at work is their "calling", having been taught this by a feminist society. In fact, their first calling is to the home, husband and children.
Rosebud1 · 574 weeks ago
Right now my family drives one car that is worth $350. We don't have cable. We buy used clothes. We cook from scratch from home. We still can't do it on my husband's income alone. We have no other things to cut.
I think one factor seldom discussed is how cost of living plays a role. We live on an island in Western Canada, where a ramshackle house costs half a million dollars. Cost of food is double, sometimes triple that of the states. We keep our house at 57 degrees and our heating bills are still enormous. I would move to a cheaper area, but my husband wants to stay, and he is in charge of our family. His family is here.
As a result I work part time in a job and put my child in school, when I really want to homeschool. What advice can one give to those already thrifty to the bone whose husbands do not have high enough earning income? BTW my husband already works seven days a week. I will just keep praying for God's provision, He has taken care of us so far.
Becky · 574 weeks ago
LaNell Stafford · 520 weeks ago