Manager of Our Homes

I've been sharing with a friend about the challenges of learning to managing my home. I was feeling challenged recently over my role as wife, mother, dishwasher, cook, and my sweet friend pointed to the book "The Power of a Praying Wife." I didn't have to go to Barnes and Noble, I just walked to our bookcases and found it waiting for me to dive in. I was especially struck by the chapter on being a manager of your home. Despite experience as a corporate manager, I saw my role as a wife as a totally different job...with a totally new not always comfortable skill set. I am still trying to figure it all out and find balance and organization. But the Lord recently inspired me to use the same skills I used as a manager to be a manager of my home. I began thinking about all the duties that it takes to run a home. Not just cooking and cleaning and caring for kids, but the big picture. A full job description. I began to see home management in a bigger scope. What things could I handle for David that would make our home run smoothly? Even things like taking out the trash, returning his phone calls, setting up home maintenance and repairs, overseeing maintenance and cleanliness of the garage and cars. Lots of those areas I had previously thought of as his area of management, but through God's nudging, I began to see even those areas as they relate to home management and very real ways I could serve my husband. Those little tasks add up on his to do list, and for me to say, I'll be handling these things today, gives me both a sense of joy and purpose in making his day a little less hectic.

Another thing I thought of today is that good managers require good communication. I was clarifying with David his desire for our schedule for tomorrow, and I realized marriage and home management takes lots and lots of talking and clarifying. I've learned that my husband is not the planner or the detail person in our marriage. I am. He more often than not has a big picture view of things, so I've learned to accomplish things as a family I have to ask a lot of questions to make sure the details get taken care of. It feels like work sometimes, but again a good manager knows that the CEO leads the manager accomplishes. That's good for me because I'm a doer. I need to be doing things, and I love the way the Lord has written this job description on my heart. I think the best part is... I can always be assured of forgiveness when I fail, and my biggest motivation isn't a salary, it's the love of an amazing husband and the joy of watching our children grow into beautiful human beings.