The Anatomy of a Chief Home Officer--It's a REAL Job! Series #4

Image by ayumina

So, perhaps you've noticed. Have you? I mean, have you noticed the fact that it's common for me to mention home management and homemaking in the same sentence? Are you thinking I really need to work on my writing skills, and, for Pete's sake, stop being so redundant?!

Well. I'm here to tell you that, of course, naturally there's a reason I use both of those terms at the same time. Naturally. Because everything I do is thought out and orderly. (Ahem.)

But, really, this time there is indeed a reason for the seeming redundancy.

I see these two terms as being descriptive of the two sides of my role--separate but complementary pieces. Think of the CHO (chief home officer) as having a spine and a heart. The CHO needs each of these to be successful. You can't really have one without the other and each part needs special attention.

Are you following?

Let me explain some more.

When I think of home management, I'm thinking of the spine of the chief home officer.

The home manager is all about making the home a place of order. The home manager is resourceful, enterprising, organized, and prepared. She sets goals. She evaluates. She's in charge of making things run smoothly. She holds things together--hence the anatomy term spine.

The Proverbs 31 woman is our model for home management in Scripture:

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night...When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet...She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come...She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
--From Proverbs 31

When I think of homemaking, I'm thinking of the heart of the chief home officer.

The homemaker is all about making the home a place of beauty. She's the nurturer. The one whose gentleness and care make her family feel secure. She brings creativity to the home. She creates an atmosphere of peace. She knows that she is the one who sets the tone for her home and family. She is the heart of her family.

Here's some examples for the homemaker in Scripture:

Then [the older women] can teach the younger women to love their husbands and children, to 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.
--Titus 2:4,5

He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!
--Psalm 113:9

Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
--Proverbs 21:19

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
--I Peter 3:3,4

We really don't want to be spineless hearts. Our nurture and care is important, but our homes and families need order, too.

And we most definitely don't want to be heartless spines. Ouch. Taskmasters who never smile. No good.

I find that at different times, a particular piece of my anatomy becomes unhealthy and needs attention. Sometimes the order falls apart. And sometimes the beauty and grace need a comeback.

Today, evaluate which of these needs a little attention. Your heart or your spine. Ask the Lord to help you honor him with each piece of your chief home officer anatomy!