The Wise Woman

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1

Woman are always working on their house. We are working in either one of two ways; either tearing it down or building it up. You are building up your house whether you are a new wife and mother or if you have been in your house long enough to see grandchildren come along. So how do we build up or tear down our houses?

With our words... Encourage your husband, children and all those under your roof to be the people God has called them to be. Exhort when appropriate. Rebuke if necessary. On the other hand, the tongue can cause such demolition; it should not be underestimated. Sometimes it is those words we said before we thought about it, or taking a moment to calm down. Sometimes it could also be that word that was needed, but not said. The difficult but wise word can be just as important as the word that remains appropriately unsaid.

With our actions... Physically we can make our house a home by making it comfortable and welcoming and beautiful to bless and nurture our families. I think that there is great worth in decorating, organizing and keeping our homes clean to the best of our abilities. God is perfect in beauty and order and holiness, so why should we not strive to be in our homes? Our actions are also those hugs we offer, a cup of tea and warm meal for a weary traveler or a kiss for the one we love.

With our attitudes... Our attitudes have the ability to speak louder than words and flavor a whole house. If we are joyful, content, trusting and thankful it is communicated throughout the home like an aroma. Of course if we are ungrateful, frustrated or selfish it floats through the house like something rotten.

So what are you doing with your hands in your house? Are you building it up or tearing it down? We have to be careful because one little thing can tear down all that we have worked so hard to build. Are we teaching our children to help build up our homes? Are our homes radiating fellowship and love to those who enter it and look in on us? Are we building up our homes to bless our families and others? What aroma is filling our houses? What kind of a woman are you?