Becoming Titus 2: What does it mean to be busy at home?

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Titus 2:3-5 NIV

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Welcome to another Becoming Titus 2 discussion!  If you have been following along, you already know full well that we are spending an entire year discussing three short verses from Titus 2.  Each month, our discussion revolves around one small portion of this passage, seeking Biblical understanding with practical application!  If you have been along for the ride, I'm sure it has marked your life!


What have you learned so far?


How has studying Titus 2 changed your perspective about what it means to be a Godly woman?


Do you see yourself becoming the woman God intended?

I do.

It is a miracle.  A true work of God, in spite of my faults, weaknesses, and sin!

What I am learning is indeed impacting others. As God is changing my heart on the inside, my actions are beginning to reveal a new me.  My daughter even sees it!  A main portion of her homeschool curriculum is an in--depth study and application of Titus 2.  She will be  creating a Titus 2 Handbook, filled with all the lessons we cover in areas of discipleship, cooking, cleaning, finances, hospitality, organization, becoming a wife,  staying pure, raising children.   As I explained the components of the handbook to her, I pointed out that much of it is inspired by the Titus 2 woman.  Since she wasn't familiar with the passage, we read it together.  A smile spread across on her face as she exuberantly proclaimed, "Mom, that's totally you!"

Humbled!  Totally humbled!

Shocked.


Could it be that God has been so dramatically working through me, using this passage to cast off the old self and birth a completely new one--a woman the reflects the character of a Titus 2 woman!  Praise the Lord! 

Yet there is still much work to be done in my lifetime and yours (Philippians 1:6), so let's be disciplined in studying Scripture and applying it -- all of it -- for the sake of the next generation!

This month, we are asking the question, "What does it mean to be busy at home?" I bet at least half of you rolled your eyes.  Most of us don't want to be busy at home!  We'd rather be busy don't something else...something we've worked hard to obtain a skill in...something with better recognition...something with a paycheck as a reward each week...something that makes our college debt make sense...something that pampers our body...something that rejuvenates our soul.  Something.

Our something has likely been either a source of comfort, security, or a God-given passion. To be honest, our somethings aren't necessarily bad things.  A paycheck is helpful.  Using our education is valuable.  Practicing a skill is rewarding.  But, if you are like me, your somethings get in the way of fulfilling one of the main things God has called each of us to -- caring of our home, including those abiding inside of it!

"To be busy at home" literally means to be, "a keeper at home, one who looks after domestic affairs with prudence and care" (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible).  Notice, it doesn't say we must do so with Martha Stewart flair or the Fly Lady's passion.  Rather, our keeping of the home is all about the prudence and care we put into it.  Moreover, in the context of this passage, it is a call for us to take the responsibility of the home, and affairs within, seriously.  This is not only an act of service, but an example to our children and our friends.


Are we willing to sacrifice our time, and sometimes our pleasures, to become a joyful Keeper of the Home?  Will we make the decision to get the house in order, to manage the chores of laundry, cleaning, cooking, and finances, to make time for a the brokenhearted child, to prepare a good meal for our husband, to demonstrate our love and priorities by having a welcoming space for the home-dwellers God has put in our lives?  And to do it with a good attitude that reflects a submission unto the Lord?

Our role as keeper of the home is a privilege, with a full variety of responsibilities.  Keeping the home doesn't have to be a daunting task, or a dreaded title.  We have the right to be a make the most of being Keeper of the Home, doing so with creativity and purpose!   Instead of seeing our responsibilities as burdensome, we ought to think of them in terms of the fulfilling the call as a disciple of Christ, whereby we make a definite act of obeying the word by choosing to keep our homes for His glory alone!

Let's cast off the burden of this call today!  Let's get creative and excited about keeping our homes!  Share with us in a comment below on or more tips about things you enjoy about being a Keeper of Your Home!  There are a variety of ways we can go about cooking, cleaning, budgeting our spending, investing into our children, making a haven for guests, and setting the tone for our family.  It is our domain, for which we can bring our own flair, passions, and purposes! Tell us yours!

Here's one of mine:  I've taken ownership of my home being the place where I can set the tone for our family, especially when my childrens' friends visit.  Upon their arrival,  I try to make a point of greeting them with a big welcome and smile.  Then I explain two or three rules, like not jumping on furniture, keeping your hands to yourself, etc., followed by a quick pray for us to glorify God in our behavior together and to bless one another with kindness.   For me, keeping of the home is as much about the hearts that dwell inside of it, guests and family alike, as it is about the chores!

What about you?

By His Grace & Mighty Power,

Be sure to join in previous discussions and mark your calendar for our upcoming topics.  Feel free to join in anytime!

1. Jan ~ Beliefs about Titus 2 in Today's Culture
2. Feb ~ What does it mean to be reverent?
3. Mar ~ What does it mean to be slanderers and addicted (to too much wine)?
4. Apr ~ How do we teach what is good?
5. May ~ How do we train the younger women? Who are the younger women?
   
6. Jun ~ How do we train the younger women to love their husbands?
7. Jul ~ How do we train the younger women to love their children?
8. Aug ~ How do we learn to be self-controlled and pure?
9. Sep ~ What does it mean to be busy at home?
10. Oct ~ What does it mean to be kind?
11. Nov ~ What does it mean to be subject to our husband?
12. Dec ~ How does becoming a Titus 2 woman cause the Word of God to not be maligned?