Housework and Blessing Our Husbands

Proverbs 31:26-30

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

This verse is humbling. I am so thankful that the Proverbs 31 woman is something to strive TOWARD rather than something to be ACHIEVED! I get tired just reading everything she does in a day! We are not to get overwhelmed by these verses. We are to take steps toward.

One baby step I try to take daily toward the goal is a baby step toward blessing my husband through housework and home management. Early in our marriage, I tried to be "Superwife." I did it all. I was so busy taking care of every detail and working full time while he went to school. I got burned out.

A good friend encouraged me to TALK to Hubby about housework. Talk about housework? He'd learn that I can't do it all! The "Superwife" would be no more! After a bit more prodding, I relented. Hubby and I talked. We talked about what HIS priorities are when it comes to the home. Boy - I was WAY off! I was striving so hard to do all things right that I missed the boat. I wasn't taking care of HIM.

I spent my energy making fancy dinners, cleaning every square inch of our lopsided duplex (the address was 601 1/2! How weird is that?), and micromanaging every detail of our finances that I wasn't spending time WITH him. The remedy? Just take his priorities into consideration!

I was amazed at how much time I had to spend with Hubby once I took his desires into consideration. He assured me that the fancy meals were not necessary - he often actually didn't like them much since he doesn't like change. He asked that I have the basics that he needed for school each day ready - clean undies, lunch packed, and coffeepot set. We made a few other changes - as we bought new clothes, we made sure they were wrinkle free to cut down on ironing time. He took over some basic chores. We made it work for us.

Now, we certainly aren't perfect, but after 9 1/2 years of marriage, we've got a pretty good system going on. Any time I start getting overwhelmed, we sit down and work out our system. I often forget his priorities and take on more than I should.

Talk to your husband. Find out what is important to him. You might be surprised! Use this info to bless his socks off!