The Challenges of a Homemaker

Challenges of a Homemaker

by

Beverly Hammett

Copyright 2011 Beverly Hammett

Smashwords Edition

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

A Word from the Author

Chapter One: Evaluating Your Expectations

Chapter Two: Happily Ever After?

Chapter Three: What about Women’s Liberation?

Chapter Four: Two Questions

Chapter Five: Will I Ever Get Done?

Study Guide

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

About the Author

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A Word from the Author

Being a homemaker is one of the most challenging things you can do as a woman. However, it is also one of the most rewarding. If you are concerned about being a Godly wife and mother, the things contained in this book will be of help to you. We will examine what the Bible says about you as a woman, also what God teaches about marriage, being a wife, being a mother, and being a keeper at home. We will also look at the philosophy of the world and how it will destroy your life if you follow it.

This book comes from a series of lessons taught to the ladies at our church. It can be used in an individual study or as a group study. At the end of the book, you will find a Study Guide with questions for discussion, Scripture verses to study, and activities for each lesson. I hope that as you read and consider the truths highlighted in this book, it will help you to become a better homemaker.

Beverly Hammett

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Chapter One

Evaluating Your Expectations

A happy homemaker is the backbone of a family. As she becomes convinced of her importance not only as a person, but also in helping to fulfill the lives of those around her, she is able to achieve her greatest success. Good families are the building blocks of our society. So women in their proper role can have a good influence on society. A Godly woman who knows God’s principles and applies them in her life can have a tremendous and Godly influence in the lives of others. Therefore, in this study, we will explore what the Word of God has to say about our responsibilities as women, and then at different ways we can apply those principles to our life to help us become Happy Homemakers.

Our personal expectations affect our ability as a homemaker and how well we are able to perform our duties. Abigail Adams said, Many of our disappointments and much of our unhappiness arise from our forming false notions of things and persons.

How true that statement is! Not only do we have expectations for ourselves, but we also have expectations of others. If these expectations are not met, it affects us greatly. It also affects our relationships with others. Think of a time in your own life when you expected something of someone and they didn’t meet your expectations. Also think of a time when someone else expected something of you and you were not able to meet their expectations. How did this affect you?

Expectations of God

As a Christian woman, we have expectations concerning God. Take some time now before we talk about these and put down in your study notes what your personal expectations of God are.

The Bible speaks often of waiting for the Lord (Psalm 33:20, Psalm 27:14, Psalm 130:5-6). This kind of waiting means expectation, such as when looking for company to arrive at your house, or when waiting for the arrival of a baby, or a change in the weather! In regard to our relationship with God, expectation and waiting means a steady trust and hope in God and His Word. We can expect God to act when we pray to Him, because we know His character. God won’t disappoint us when we claim His promises according to His Will and His Word. Therefore, we can wait expectantly for Him to answer our prayer.

As you think about our expectations relating to God, there are two areas that sometimes brings what we think are shortcomings on God’s part. But if we examine them carefully we will find they are not shortcomings on God’s part, but rather shortcomings on our part.

First of all, when we pray, we get anxious for God to answer it in our timing, and we don’t wait too patiently. We think that God has forgotten to hear and answer our prayers. We need to remember that God knows all things, and His timing is better than our timing. So we need to learn to leave it in His hands.

Second, sometimes we try to use God for our ideas and plans. We try to harness God and get Him to pull our way. When things don’t go the way we expected, we think God has disappointed us. But look at what God says in Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. God will give you the desire of your heart, but notice the condition—if you delight in Him.

Ask yourself: where is my delight—in God Himself or in seeing the fulfillment of my own personal desires? God’s promise is for those whose hearts belong to Him. He wants us to love Him for who He is, not because of what He does for us. Take some time to evaluate your relationship with God and your love for Him.

What are some things we can expect from God in the following passages?

* Psalm 33:20-22: Help, Mercy

* Psalm 42:11: Health

* Psalm 119:165: Great Peace

* Psalm 130:7-8: Redemption

* Psalm 16:1, 8-11: Eternal security, protection, guidance

* Psalm 18:1-3: Protection, safety

* Psalm 32:5: Forgiveness of sins

* Psalm 34:15: Hear our prayer

* Psalm 46:1: Refuge and Strength

* Psalm 23:6: Goodness and mercy

These are just a few of the many things we can expect from God. As we learn of God’s character, we learn that we can expect much from Him—and He will never let us down! His love and mercy are our guarantee that He will help us. His omnipotence assures us that nothing is too hard for our God. His omnipresence gives us confidence that wherever we are, God is there also. His omniscience assures us that He knows what is best for us, and we can trust Him to do what is right. What do the following passages tell us about God’s character and power?

* Psalm 146: He is worthy to be praised and trusted. He is the Creator.

* Isaiah 40:28-31: He is eternal, creator, omniscient, our strength.

* Romans 8:31-32: He is Omnipotent. We have security in Him.

* Revelation 4:11: He is our Creator, worthy to receive glory, honor, and power.

As we read the Word of God, we find many Bible characters who expected much from God. Where did they get their faith to trust in God? They got it from believing God’s Word, and acting on what God had said. Also as they saw God at work in the lives of others, it gave them faith to believe He would do the same for them. These are the same 2 ways God uses today to show us that we can trust Him. Let’s look at some of these Bible characters and see how they trusted in God, and what they expected of Him.

Martha—John 11

We know that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close to Jesus. They had seen many miracles, listened to His teachings, and had Him as a guest in their home many times. Martha believed that He was the Messiah (vs. 27). Yet she didn’t expect Jesus to be able to raise her brother from the dead (vs. 39). She was sad because He hadn’t gotten there earlier to heal Lazarus. Yet Jesus took what little faith she had and expanded it when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t meet her expectations as she planned, but far beyond her expectations, Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Hannah—First Samuel 1:9-15

Here we see Hannah’s earnest prayer as she poured out her soul to the Lord. What do you think is meant by that? I think she was pleading earnestly with her whole being to the Lord. It wasn’t just a simple little prayer, OK if you do and OK if you don’t but sure would be nice. It was an earnest, heart-felt pleading, begging, beseeching God. When she got her answer from God’s prophet we see her great faith in expecting God to answer. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. (First Samuel 1:17) She wasn’t sad anymore, but went her way joyfully, expecting God to keep His Word.

Widow Woman—First Kings 17

This woman had only enough to eat for one meal. Then she and her son were just going to wait to die by starvation. God sent Elijah along with the message that if she fed him first, with the food that she and her son were going to eat, there would be plenty for days to come for all of them. What faith it must have taken to take the last food she had and give it to someone else.

Yet we know that she expected God to fulfill His word, because she did just that. She made the little cake and gave to Elijah. God did keep His promise. The Bible says, She and he and her house did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spake by Elijah. (First Kings 17:15-16)

David—Psalm 139:23-24

David