On Earth, As It Is In Heaven

The famous prayer in Gethsemene asked that God's will be done on earth -- as it is in heaven. If women really want to guard their homes and make them havens, they have to think of ways to make the homes be a taste of  heaven. Heaven has no confusion or indecision about what is right. Heaven has no rebellion or disrespect. There is a continual wedding celebration (Revelations 19:9).  It has no ugliness, no despair or fear. Heaven has no discordant notes.  Poets of old have compared home to heaven. 

 The home is more than just a crashing place for people on their way to do something more important. It should be the center of life.  One reason that families seem so disjointed is because they are not regarding the home with heaven in mind.  Things should be done here on this earth, as they are in heaven.

If you have ever tried to get rid of the disruption of the rest of the world and retreat at home, you probably notice that the world doesnt want to leave you alone. It always seems to be trying to get in your life. One woman told me that when her first child was born, she and her husband decided not to have television in the home. Her set had broken down anyway, and it was a good chance to eliminate television.  "When friends noticed we had not television, they began bringing over extra tv's!  I had televisions come at me from all over the place!"  Finally, just to keep down the pressure, she accepted a television and left it in her garage.

The home should be made into a pleasant dwelling by every means possible, and may require  eliminating some noise or clutter.  Think of the home as the most glorious place on earth, a mirror of heaven.  If things are to be done on earth, as they are in heaven, then they must be beautiful, orderly and glorifying.

As it is in heaven, home life can be a resting place and a place of praise. Here are some ideas that might be of interest, in making the home heavenly:

1. Eliminate as much bad news as you can. Network television and radio broadcasts the worst news and demoralizes people.  The Bible says we ought not to talk about the things "done in the dark."  You may not think it effects you, but too much bad news eventually leads to depression and despair. If you constantly listen to what bad shape the world is in, you may lose hope. The Bible, on the other hand is GOOD news, which gives the solution and escape from such bad news.

2.Don't buy in to the despair of this world. Make every word pleasant and informative, but never shrink from doing right or teaching what is right.

3. Don't allow criticism of the homemaker. She is the light of the home. If you allow it to be dimmed, there is no guide for the day to day things in the home. Don't drive her away with criticism, blaming, condemnation, and lack of appreciation. Furthermore, teach children to honor the parents. This goes a lot deeper than just bringing her flowers on Mothers Day. It means to apply the heart to the wisdom she has taught regarding their life choices. It means not to offend or attack.

4. Clean house.  In the worst of times, it is doubly important to have a clean house. In the book, "One Small Woman,"  the story of an English woman who went to China during war time, she said, "If your house is dirty, clean it."  She was referring to the fact that you can always do something to improve life for others.

5. Decorate your house.  Even the poorest of people can clean and decorate. Putting up a picture, or bringing in a jelly jar full of wild flowers can make the humblest home a type of heaven. Decorating offers you the opportunity to put your own personality and love into the dwelling place place, by using an abundance of your favourite colours, and surrounding yourself in the things that you like looking at. The home is a woman's domain, and she should make it a place she would like to be. There are shops we love to be in because of the scent or the lovely merchandise. Think of that when you decorate your home. Try to put the scenes you like, in the home. Its your right and your responsibility. Women need to reclaim the home and make it heavenly by the way it looks.

6. Make your house smell heavenly. Cleanliness, good cooking, and the scents of nature can make a home blissful.

7. Dress up and fix your hair and makeup before starting the day, if you possibly can. It makes a big difference in how you treat others and your home. It makes a huge difference in the respect you get.

8. Don't allow arguing. There is a saying, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy."  The mood of the home largely depends on keeping the homemaker free from agitation and worry. Its so important to respect her God-given position in the home and not undermine it or ridicule it in any way. Don't upset the cook, for obvious reasons. If you want the woman to really do a good job at home, don't pick on her or make her job difficult. The woman has to establish rules about this. She is the one who will determine how she is treated. When people mistreat the homemaker, it is because they can get away with it. Homemakers need to practice being firm and confident with people. Don't allow anyone to interfere with your work at home.

9. Improve your home and your skills. Learn something new, and be creative every day! One reason I post crafts is because I believe that hand work is good for women and it is more productive than working at an office all day or standing behind a cash register at work. It gives you results you can see for years and years and gives others great pleasure.  Nothing is more reassuring to a family than to see the homemaker contented and happy, making pretty things from the home. I have shown the "Tilda" books here before. The author, a Scandanavian woman who lives by the sea, shows how to make small projects from quilt fabrics: a handbag, a teddy bear, doll, slippers, hat, apron, foot stool, ornaments for all seasons, fabric fruit, cloth wreath, storage bags and containers, envelopes, and little things that can be done on the spot.  She  loves the home and her books are illustrated in the pretty florals and shades of nature.  This book hearkens back to the old Simplicity sewing books that were made for the home, with patterns to trace, in the back. These little projects are perfect for the busy homemaker who needs some down time to rest and still get creative.  For those who do not sew, there is a host of other creative things you can do. I often show paper crafts for the non-sewer.

10. Teach your own children at home. Choose curriculum that shows some of the old ways. Having your own children at home, learning to be agreeable with you, creates a totally different atmosphere in the home. When children are discipled, rather than just "taught", their wills are  in alignment with their parents. They will be "wrought together." Sometimes women will watch a historical film, or look into the paintings of the 18th and 19th century,  and note the niceties going on in an ordinary day at home; the meal preparations, the taking of tea, a conversation with a friend, discussions about literature, or a talking at length about a great Biblical principle, real singing or piano music in the background while you wash dishes, walks in the garden, or "a turn around the room."  They long to reproduce this in their own era. This is the kind of life you get, when you homeschool. Your culture changes.   You CAN reproduce the life that our ancestors enjoyed, but it takes a different mindset to recreate it. THe Bible is our perfect example. Reading it will cause us to create heaven in our homes. If you homeschool your children, you will come closer to reproducing the "old paths, where is the good walk" because you will not have an invading culture coming into your own home every day. Your children will be content, and willing to learn, and your husband will feel that the work he does to provide for the family is not being dismantled daily by the deterioration of home life. If you homeschool, you wont have the extra conflicts in the home that create a cold atmosphere. There is no conflict in heaven.

1l.  Spend much time in prayer.  It brings you closer to heaven than anything.

For more beautiful cottage paintings, be sure to look at http://www.lovelywhatevers.blogspot.com/  where I will be adding more.