Stand not alone

There is evidence from statistics of wives doing life by themselves. They are unplugged from the community of other ladies that may be of help to them in their journey, meanwhile, wives at all levels need the support of other wives and mothers. The road to godly motherhood and godly marriage is like a roller coaster ride, God knew that there would be highs and lows, hence the reason He plants people on our path to help and guide at these seasons of life.  Have you a community of ladies? The benefits of communities of like-minded wives and mothers are great and so rewarding if well managed.
How to get plugged into a community of godly wives and mothers.
There are many groups helping and supporting each other, face to face and virtually. Technology has also helped people to form communities of support and encouragement to each other. In order to get plugged into the support of focus group, below are some of the things I will encourage you to do.
  1. Speak to people in your church: There are small groups of women in local churches that support and care for specific people groups, why not ask if there is one for wives and mothers in your local church, and if there is none, why not pray on starting one in your local church? Approach your leaders, and if given the go-ahead, speak to the older ladies and encourage them to join the group in order to guide and guard the younger wives and others in your local church.
  2. Google up “Groups for Christian mothers or wives: There are many groups for wives and mothers on WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and various social media platforms, while I will say be careful as to which group you get yourself into, read the ethos/beliefs of the group and view some of the activities they are involved in and see if that meets your personal standards.
  3. Tried referral: Sometimes, friends may refer you to groups online or some that meet face to face, why not give it a try and see how beneficial it might be to you.  A word of caution, do not be dragged into many groups, particularly online groups, be disciplined as to how many groups you want to be part of, or else you will find yourself being Jack of all trade and master of none. There was a time when I subscribed to many groups on Facebook, and when I needed to get into the useful groups that I needed, it seemed all muddled up. I had to take extra time deleting and removing myself from such groups so that I can focus on the ones that matter to me.
  4. Books: One way that I have found community is through books, I have devoted myself to the reading of many books from different backgrounds and different authors. With this, I found myself learning like a university student, taking all sorts of courses to build oneself up and keep myself occupied positively. The only difference is that there is no opportunity to speak vocally or live with the persons involved in the book, having said that, you may be able to write to the author of a particular book you are reading.
Communities help to develop and grow you into the wife and the mother and ultimately, the woman you ought to be, and this happens if you find the right community, and through these communities, you may be able to build good and godly friendship and support.
There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him Ecclesiastes 4:8-10
 

Introducing varieties in your home

The home is the woman’s primary office. The day to day running of the home is in the hands of the woman, and when a woman does this well, the husband is able to concentrate on his own responsibilities.
In the midst of the woman taking the day to day running of the home under the leadership of her husband, oftentimes, boredom creeps in; boredom in what she cooks, boredom in the activities available for the children, boredom in the things she and her husband do together.
In the early days of my marriage, my husband asked for varieties; varieties of food and snacks. Some years down the line, I believe that I have improved a little.
I did not arrive there quickly, neither can I say that I am fully there. I am still improving after nearly 2 decades of married life. I remember a trip to Italy some years ago which changed my ideas of meals. I looked at the way my host shopped for meal and cooked in her kitchen.  When I returned back home, I started implementing the things I learnt in Italy in my own home too, and I cannot tell you how much that has helped.
You as the woman in the home have that responsibility to introduce good, simple and not so expensive varieties into your home in relation to meals and as to activities.
How do you do that?
  1. Pray: Ask the Lord to inspire you as to what type of meals you can introduce in addition to what you already cook in your home. Do not think why you have to pray, God is the God of all wisdom, and He has all the skills needed for your home. I have benefitted severally from inspirations as I approach the Lord in the place of prayer over what may appear to be trivial matters. When you pray to God for ideas, I believe He will not deny you.
  2. Read books: There are many ideas locked up in books, as you read books or novels, you may come across activities or meals, why not try and explore? There are cook books too, look into them and try them out. You can get some of them at boot sales, your local library or ask friends to lend you what they have….don’t forget to return it though
  3. The internet: Ours is such a blessed generation, you can find all sorts of recipes from different continents online, why not browse a few that you may try? While browsing, be careful not to waste all of your time searching, be disciplined, and make plans as to how long you want to search for.
  4. Ask around: You can talk to ladies in your bubbles, do not overlook what you may or can learn from the community of other godly ladies. When you visit friends and loved ones, be on the lookout, you may learn from the way they cook, the wholesome activities they engage in, and who knows if that may be something you too can go to your home to implement. Ask ladies to record themselves making a dish you like and send it to you.
There are many games you can come up with in your household, I pray that the Lord will inspire you to come up with varieties in your own home, check out Christian books and online