The Homekeeper

By: Samantha Cellette

            As a stay-at-home mom, it’s often easy to feel like you’re missing out. Sometimes you see these women climbing the corporate ladder to success, or traveling to some of the most beautiful places in the world, and it’s easy to sigh and have the thought of “that’d be nice.” You may hear stories of women that have the time freedom to go wherever, whenever they want, or get that degree or the corner office. Nothing holding them back, no schedules to keep, just a life of adventure, sounds pretty great huh?

As a stay-at-home mom, these are thoughts that I’m sure any mama has had at least once. Sometimes it’s easy for your home life to become mundane, or familiar. Fear may arise that you’re missing out on what life has to offer or you’re not living to your full potential. I’m here to tell you that fear is a liar and you actually are living out one of the greatest callings that a woman will ever have. As a mama and really as a parent in general, it is our responsibility to teach our children about living a life filled with Jesus. What a great honor. God sees you fit to be a mama, and you have what your babies need. God sees you capable, so you should see yourself capable too! And when times get hard, trust that He supplies ample amount of grace to get you through.

            Now, for the working mama. Hats off to you, because you do everything I’m about to talk about plus a regular 9-5. You are AMAZING. This calling I’m about to share is not just for the stay-at-home mom like myself, it’s for all mamas everywhere. This is for you.

            Every morning, my three-year-old, Madi comes into my room, climbs into bed with me and wants to snuggle and have “Jesus time.” That may not be a significant thing to some, but to her it’s consistency, it’s stability and it’s love. Every day, my two-year-old Will requires an immense number of hugs and kisses. Also, may not seem like a big thing to some, but for him it’s comfort, it’s joy and it’s love. These little humans will learn some of their greatest life lessons from me. Their personality will blossom, they will dream dreams, develop hopes and desires and who will be the one to nurture that growth, to encourage those dreams? I will.

            Now, I am not in any way belittling the role of their daddy because he plays a HUGE part in that growth as well. But because I’m home with them, all day, every day, a lot of what they learn and see about the ins and outs of daily life will come from me. That’s heavy! What an honor, what a responsibility, what a privilege!

            If you were to ask a mama what their job description is, there may be many things listed. I have heard some mom’s say they feel like a chef, a teacher, a doctor, a housekeeper. I can understand this! I want to focus on one specific though, the housekeeper. When I think of a housekeeper, I think of someone hired or tasked to keep the house clean. Mopping, sweeping, dusting, dishes, laundry, etc. Sounding familiar? BUT. I recently read a devotional where the term “homekeeper” was used and it made me pause and think.

            When you’re on a trip and have been gone for weeks, you may say the phrase, “I can’t wait to be home.” Or when you walk in the door after a long day, “It feels good to be home.” Notice the word there, “home.” It’s not, “I can’t wait to be at the house,” or “It feels good to be at the house.” No! It’s a home!

            What makes a house a home? YOU DO. When we pour our hearts into cleaning, doing laundry, making dinner, we aren’t just “housekeeping.” We are “homekeeping.” We are creating a place where our families can rest. Where they gather around the table and share their victories and defeats. We are creating an atmosphere for our children to dream, to learn to become their truest and best selves. We are creating a place where memories are made, laughter is loud and most importantly, where love resides. We are creating a place where no matter where our children go in the world, they will always know they can come back if they need to.

Remember, home isn’t the structure, that’s the house. Home is you. Home is me. Home is hugs and kisses and family movie nights. It’s tickle time with Daddy and dance parties with Mama. It’s snuggling up on the couch with your husband and watching your favorite movie after the kids are in bed. Home is family, and you, mama, have one of the greatest roles in creating home every single day. We are valuable. What we do is so very important. We are loved. We are called. We are homekeepers.