I first heard this phrase in the movie “Gigi” in 1958 as a college student, in
which Maurice Chevalier sang the song, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” I can still hear him singing it today, 65 years later
The phrase is a celebration of the fundamental difference in every aspect of who men and women are, in their very essence. It is how God made us, as we have been discussing for the past few weeks. It is a glorious, wonderful distinction, perfect in every way, because God did it that way!
Men are the leaders, the visionaries, the decision-makers, while the women are the helpers, the sensitive, insightful, compassionate completers, which we men cannot do without. Together, functioning in our biblical, ordained, responsibilities, we are an unbeatable team as we rule over the earth together as Jesus’ vice-regents. “For He (Jesus in heaven, seated at God’s right hand) must reign (through us, here on the earth, by His Holy Spirit) till He has put all enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25).
This is why we were created—to rule together over the earth and the circumstances we face daily. We are bringing everything—every creature, every institution, every organization, and every situation under the rule of Jesus and His law.
However, attempts to obey the Law of God will kill us (“…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life – 2 Corinthians 3:6). This deadly law of God became The Truth, poured out on us through Jesus at the cross and energized by the Holy Spirit within us (“For the law was given by Moses, but GRACE AND TRUTH came by Jesus Christ” – John 1:17)!
Today, God’s righteous, inerrant, holy law, which was “death” to us as we tried to obey it, now becomes the life-giving Truth that sets us free! “And you shall know (ginosko – to know experientially, not intellectually) the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). This is the track upon which the kingdom of God advances!
It is within this big-picture vision that a mother is a full-time homemaker. She is constantly with her children, her “kingdom warriors” of the next generation, particularly from birth to five or so. She is loving and disciplining them “full-time,” changing diapers, preparing meals, cleaning house, shopping for the family, and supporting her husband.
Without The Truth, homemaking practiced legalistically, by the numbers, will kill you. It becomes exactly what the world continually and falsely claims it is—”being a housewife keeps you from finding your full potential and real meaning and success in life.”
The Bible telIs us a far different story. I want to summarize what the Bible tells us, in Proverb 31:10-31, about the possible activities of a biblical homemaker as she functions in The Truth.
Note that she is doing all this under the authority of her husband, who “safely trusts her” that he will “have no lack of gain” as she “does him good and not evil all the days of his life.” In her areas of expertise, he “turns her loose.”
I will hit the highlights of some of the unlimited possibilities of a homemaker, while reading between the lines, and transposing her activities to modern times. Here we go!
1.) She is a fashion designer, beautifully clothing her family with her own creations. 2.) She is a chef, faithfully planning and preparing gourmet meals for her family. 3.) She buys, sells, and manages family real estate investment to increase the family assets. 4.) With her profits, she buys and operates a vineyard. 5.) She starts a clothing business with her fashion designs. 6.) She organizes a charitable organization to help the poor. 7.) All the while, she is keeping on top of the needs of her family in the home, and 8.) still finds time to remain physically and spiritually fit.
As a new-born baby comes into this home and matures over its first few years, this mother’s constant personal care and involvement is crucial, but at age five or so, the child begins to naturally exercise his individuality. The mother lets him do so, as she watches him mature. A biblically-trained child will provide opportunities for her to eventually begin to function outside the home in innumerable, possible activities, as enumerated above.
As the child reaches his teens, training is done. He has adopted the family worldview and its behavioral standards, and he is “on his own,” with his parent’s oversight. The mother is free now to exercise the gifts God has given her to assist her husband as they rule.
In this Proverbs 31 example, while she is taking care of the household, her husband is a leader in the civil government of the community, as he is a respected elder, managing the city. He is free to do so, as she has the home-front covered . Not only is her husband respected by the whole city, but she is as well, because her accomplished work is recognized by all (picture a competent, active wife of a U.S. president).
On the other hand, both husband and wife could also be ordinary people without any recognized success in the public square. The point is that the plan of God that we will rule the earth involves ua all—from the least of us to the greatest!
For His unknown, divine purposes, God has not ordained that all His daughters get married, and some who are married cannot have children. Why that occurs is way beyond our pay grade. If that is your situation, He will show you what to do, as you always remember that you are His precious daughter, whom He loves with all His heart! He has something exciting just for you, as you remain a woman, with all your unique characteristics! “Viva la difference!”
