The Blessings of Old-Fashioned Work ~ Part Five

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.” 

~ Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Dear gentle reader, we can not end this series on "The Blessings of Old Fashioned Work" until one more thought is conveyed. Old fashioned work is NOT a blessing when you over-tax yourself. Your family needs a strong and capable woman to manage the home. Not only to physically prepare the meals and clean the messes but to be strong in mind and spiritually sound. We can't wipe ourselves out from so much work that we don't have patience for those precious children in our care and the stamina required to be a godly helpmeet to our husband.

We must leave time in our schedules to study the word of God so that we may influence our home in His guidance and direction. We must allow time in our day to hug our children and kiss our spouse. We must carve out time to lift our feet and rest our weary bodies in order to maintain our invaluable health.

"Work is not always required.
There is such a thing as sacred idleness."

~ George MacDonald

If you feel unproductive when resting, read something of use (some of my favorites are here), pick up a needle and thread and work on your mending pile, embellish pieces with embroidery to feather your cozy nest, or place a hook in your hand to craft blankets and other items to bless the home.

"...a prudent wife is from the Lord."

~ Proverbs 19:14b

"PRU'DENT, a. Cautious; circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; cautious not to act when the end is of doubtful utility, or probably impracticable.

The prudent man looketh well to his going. Prov 14.

A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself. Prov 22.

1. Dictated or directed by prudence; as prudent behavior.

2. Foreseeing by instinct; as the prudent crane.

3. Frugal; economical; as a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money.

4. Wise; intelligent."

~ Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Remember, it is not a workaholic wife that is a blessing, but a prudent woman. One who knows when a task needs to be done and when a child needs to be held. One who knows when to refresh her body instead of tackling another project. There is a balance. And I pray for wisdom that every one of us can find that balance and be a true blessing to our home, by practicing the arts of old fashioned labor while caring for our family and being good stewards of our health.

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates."

~ Proverbs 31:28, 31

"The noblest thing in the world is honest labor. It is the very preservative principle of the universe. Wise labor brings order out of chaos; it turns deadly bogs and swamps into grain-bearing fields; it rears cities; it adorns the earth with architectural monuments, and beautifies them with divinest works of art... Work, therefore, with pride and gladness, for thereby you will be united by a common bond with all the best and noblest who have lived, who are now living, and who shall ever be born."

~ The Royal Path of Life, 1882

{See part one , part two, part three and part four of this series.}

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