As you work on building your home, remember it's not the kind of place or the size of the place you call home, but the tone and the atmosphere of that place that you are seeking to create. 

Be Dedicated to Your Home

Be committed, dedicated, and devoted to the smooth running of your home. As writer and speaker Elisabeth Elliot observes, "A sloppy life speaks of a sloppy faith." We are careful in our faith and our spiritual growth. So why shouldn't we be careful about how we manage our home?

Be a Woman of Prayer

Prayer changes your housework. How? Because it changes the heart of the homemaker. As you are faithful to pray about this realm of your work, the principle of Matthew 6:21 once again goes into effect—"Where your treasure is [in this case, the treasure of your time and spiritual effort spent praying for your home and homemaking], there your heart will be also." 

Be Aware of the Basics

Food. Clothing. Cleanliness. Safety. These are basic, making them a part of your responsibility to your family. Just skim through Proverbs 31:10-31 and count the ways this master manager ministered to her family by providing for their basic needs.

Be the Queen of the Schedule

When your days, weeks, months, and years run on a rhythm, your work at home gets done. And a schedule makes it happen. Whether you go to a job or not, careful scheduling takes care of housework, correspondence, bill paying, errand running, meal planning, family activities, and gardening. No, not everything will get done. But more will get done than if you hadn't created a schedule!

Be Organized

Organization captures the meaning of the age-old principle of a place for everything and everything in its place. Organization always aids the smooth running of a household. 

Be There

Exactly how do our good housekeeping chores get done? They get done when we, the homemaker and housekeeper, are there—when we, the manager, are at home. 

Be the Best

I've adopted the Proverbs 31 homemaker as my model for home management. She excelled at her role of home manager (verse 29). My thinking goes something like this—"Okay, I have to keep the house clean. I need to create order. I've got to see to three meals a day. Why not excel? Why not really bless my family and others?"

Be Reading

There's no reason you can't learn about the skills, methods, and tools that make for better homemaking. Even if you learned nothing about homemaking when you were growing up, all you have to do is read and learn now. Material is everywhere on this subject. If your heart is willing, you can improve by reading.

Be Frugal

A major gift you give to your family is the frugal management of your household budget. Every penny saved is a penny you can put to use serving your family and others who need your assistance. Thrift and the wise management of money are biblical virtues that bless our family.

Be Creative

I love being a homemaker because it gives me so many opportunities to learn and master new skills, to excel in the sphere God has assigned me to manage, and to express my creativity in countless ways. Just think, you and I can be about as creative as we want when we paint, sew, cook, garden, decorate, organize, and make crafts. And every one of these efforts will bless you, your family, and so many others. Even if you have a job outside of the home, you get to come home to your home-sweet-home and make it even sweeter!

Excerpted from Life Management for Busy Women

Elizabeth George, whose books have sold more than 9 million copies, is the author of A Woman After God’s Own Heart^® (more than 1 million copies sold) and Breaking the Worry Habit...Forever! She’s also a popular speaker at Christian women’s events. Elizabeth and her husband, Jim, are parents and grandparents, and have been active in ministry for more than 30 years. Connect with Elizabeth and her husband at www.elizabethgeorge.com. 

Want more life management tips from Elizabeth George? Check out her previous post: 5 Biblical Tips on How to Pray.