I’ve got more on marriage, coming soon, but for now just a few links that have been so helpful and encouraging to me over the past few years. I check out these blogs regularly and am so blessed to see the faithful ministries of these two families (the Mahaney’s & the Wilson’s). Really, the gospel fruitfulness that can come from a home that is dedicated to honouring and enjoying God blows my mind. The home is a place where so much important stuff can happen for the kingdom. It’s a training ground for little minds, a place of warmth and unconditional love, a haven for the weary and tired, and a source of wonderful God-given relationships. I hope that you will check these out regularly and peruse the many different categories that these women have written about in order to glean wisdom, insight and hopefulness about what the Christian home can become, by God’s grace.
Take a peak!
And, just for some added encouragement, read what the wonderful Charles Spurgeon wrote in the November 10th entry from his devotional series, Morning & Evening:
“The eternal God is thy refuge”– Deuteronomy 33:27
The word refuge may be translated ‘mansion’, or ‘abiding-pace’, which gives the thought that God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and sweetness in the metaphor, for dear to our hearts is our home, although it be the humblest cottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is our blessed God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. It is at home that we feel safe; we shut the world out and dwell in quiet security. So when we are with our God we ‘fear no evil’. He is our shelter and retreat, our abiding refuge. At home, we take our rest; it is there we find repose after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find rest in God, when , wearied with life’s conflict, we turn to him, and our soul dwells at ease. At home, also, we let our hearts loos; we are not afraid of being misunderstood, nor of our words being misconstrued. So when we are with God we can commune freely with Him, laying open all our hidden desires; for the ‘secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him;, the secrets of them that fear Him ought to be, and must be, with their Lord. Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is in God that our hearts find their deepest delight. We have joy in Him which far surpasses all outer joy. It is also for home that we work and labour. The thought of it gives strength to bear the daily burden, and quickens the finders to perform the task; and in this sense we may also say that God is our home. Love to Him strengthens us. We think of Him in the person of His dear Son; and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer constrains us to labour in His cause. We feel that we must work, for we have brethren yet to be saved, and we have our Father’s heart to make glad by bringing home His wandering sons; we would fill with holy mirth the sacred family among whom we dwell. Happy are those who have thus the God of Jacob for their refuge!