Titus-2 Homemaking Lessons Inspired by Jane Austen

According to her great nephew Edward, Jane Austen was "a good daughter, a delightful sister, the most perfect of aunts, what better record could there be of a single woman? Her literary work never stood in the way of her home duties..." Perhaps her "home duties" isn't what comes to mind when we think of dear Jane, however, she shares much on the subject through the beloved books she left behind. Today we highlight five Titus-2 lessons which are inspired by Miss Austen!

#1. Practice Makes Perfect

"Catherine would make a sad, heedless young housekeeper to be sure," was her mother's foreboding remark; but quick was the consolation of there being nothing like practice."

~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Though many of us were not brought up to be homemakers, you can take heart that practice does indeed make perfect! The key is in developing the proper habits.  Author Elizabeth George speaks of being intentional about homemaking. She said she "loved reading, brooding, and watching TV. But one evening I heard a Christian woman I admire say, "I don't do anything sedentary!" I thought about that statement for days, and I finally made a pledge to be more active, to keep moving..." 

A few things my mother impressed upon me which I think are priceless, are in fact very simple concepts. They just require follow up ("moving" so to speak) and are in regards to the kitchen. As it is the center of the home, it requires the most maintenance. If we can focus on keeping our kitchen orderly, our entire home will function more efficiently.

• Number one, do not go to bed with dirty dishes in your sink (sorry, I know you didn't want to hear something this blunt and obvious!). You will be creating an un-pleasant domino effect for the remainder of the week that will affect the whole household and throw it off balance. A clean kitchen means a fresh start to each day and a promise for a more manageable one!

• The second tip is to clean as you cook. If you take out the tub of sugar, put it immediately away. If you barely use an item, give it a quick rinse and place it directly in your dish rack (I always keep my dish-rack out on the sink for this very reason -- it is the catch-all for the cleaning as you cook method). Leaving piles of mess in your kitchen is very overwhelming! It is much more manageable to maintain as you go along.

• The third concept is to fix your bed and dress every morning. Your bed makes up the bulk of your bedroom and with that being tidy, it sets the stage for "neat" in your home! With you being "tidy" every morning, it sets the stage for wanting your home to be "neat".

If you are interested, you will find a few more simple priorities here along with some list-making motivation here. Remember, practice makes perfect!

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

~ Phillipians 4:9 (NIV)

#2. Live Within Your Means

"Imprudence or thoughtlessness in money matters would be unpardonable in me."

~ Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

"They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt... She drew up plans of economy, she made exact calculations, and she did what nobody else thought of doing: she consulted Anne, who never seemed considered by the others as having any interest in the question. She consulted, and in a degree was influenced by her in marking out the scheme of retrenchment which was at last submitted... Every emendation of Anne's had been on the side of honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher tone of indifference for everything but justice and equity."

~ Jane Austen, Persuasion

In Persuasion, we see the heroine (Anne) attempting to remedy the financial stress her widowed father and sister incurred in their lavish lifestyles. And here also, Jane Austen shows us the example of a crowned and honorable wife! For "while Lady Elliot lived, there had been method, moderation, and economy, which had just kept him within his income; but with her had died all such right-mindedness, and from that period he had been constantly exceeding it". A wife's frugal endeavors do make a difference and can make or break a home! I have seen many with a hefty paycheck lose everything and those with meager funds are able to maintain what they have because of good stewardship. Should you like to discover a lifestyle of reform and "retrenchment" (as it is alluded to in the regency era), here is our guide to Prudent Living the Pretty Way.

'“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’"

~ Luke 14:28-30

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

~ Proverbs 19:14a

3. Mothers Matter

“A mother would have been always present. A mother would have been a constant friend; her influence would have been beyond all other.”

~ Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Here we see the sorrow of Miss Tilney, to grow up without a mother! How many children today have them and yet still grow up without them? You make a difference dear mother. Your presence makes a house a home! It is your arms that a child finds comfort, it is in your words that a child finds instruction and it is in your actions that a child learns the ways of the Almighty. Your motherly investment of time and energy will not go void. According to the Holy Word, these are beautiful raiment for your child. 

"... do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 

They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."

~ Proverbs 1:8-9

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.

Praise ye the Lord."

~ Psalm 113:9

4. A Wife is a Good Thing

"Lady Elliot had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot, had never required indulgence afterwards.--She had humoured, or softened, or concealed his (her husbands') failings, and promoted his real respectability for seventeen years; and though not the very happiest being in the world herself, had found enough in her duties, her friends, and her children, to attach her to life..."

~ Jane Austen, Persuasion

Dear, precious, homemaker and wife, you are a good thing, a crown, and a jewel in God's eyes. Although Lady Elliott "had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot, had never required indulgence afterwards", we see in the quote above that she had made the best of her poor marriage circumstances. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she did her (in this case) unworthy husband "good and not evil all the days of her life". I would like to think that she did so unto Him who created her (Colossians 3:23). Let us all do the same! 

"Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD."

~ Proverbs 18-22

"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:

but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."

~ Proverbs 12:4

5. There is No Place Like Home

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” 

~ Jane Austen, Emma

"Nothing was so likely to do her good as a little quiet cheerfulness at home.”

~Jane Austen, Persuasion

There are many interesting places in the world to see, many wonderful outings to be had! But in the end, where does the heart crave to rest the weary body? Home. It is the place where we nourish our loved ones, practice creativity and cultivate comfort and love. It is assigned to women by the Almighty to keep and to guard (Titus 2:4-5). There is no place like it when it is filled with His sacred presence and our care and devotion.

"And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,

and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places..."

~ Isaiah 32:18

Thank you for visiting with us today! If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in reading Titus 2 Homemaking Encouragement Inspired by Louisa May Alcott and Frugal Homemaking Lessons from The Great Depression Inspired by Janette Oke. In the meantime, I will leave you with a final bit of inspiration from Jane... 

"Give us grace to endeavour after a truly Christian Spirit to seek to attain that temper of Forbearance and Patience, of which our Blessed Saviour has set us the highest Example and which, while it prepares us for the spiritual happiness of the life to come, will secure to us the best enjoyment of what this World can give. Incline us Oh God! to think humbly of ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves."

~ Prayer Written by Jane Austen

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).