Embracing Your Role as Help Meet and an eBook Giveaway from Time Warp Wife!

I know I've written before about my personal attachment to Proverbs 31 and Titus 2. These references are used a lot in Christian circles and it's my hope that you (and I) never get over the commandments and truths produced in these beautiful works of scripture as they are critical pieces to our daily operation as women of God.

The ink was still wet on my college diploma when my husband and I went to the altar at age 22. I had the husband I always wanted, the beautiful wedding I always wanted, the charming little first house I always wanted, and the power job I always wanted. What else did I really need to know or do? It was time to just...live life. Right? Wrong. I remember hearing a lot about I Cor 13 around the time of our nuptials, but I can't remember ever hearing the first word about Proverbs 31 or Titus 2 - explicit instruction given to wives and mothers. And, that's really unfortunate. I Cor 13 tells us what love is and isn't, but Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 tells us how to live out that love and how it manifests through a Christlike heart. During the early years of marriage and for the majority of my life as mom, I was still seeking fulfillment in a career. I was trying to do it all, but being so over-committed, I really didn't do much at all.

I began looking at all of my responsibilities like a flower garden. I was tending each area enough to allow it to survive, but none were really flourishing. Some areas (my home, family, and relationship with Christ) needed water, fertilizer and attention. Other areas just needed to be pruned a little. Some areas (my career) needed to be ripped up and sent to the compost pile. Once I took care of the pruning and composting, I immediately went to work at home as a full-time mom and wife - using the conviction and direction of Christ to help the garden grow. Without the other distractions, I've been able to enjoy this time with a happy heart more than I ever imagined. Some people say it takes a special person to stay home with children; I say it takes a special God. Without influence from the Lord, I wouldn't have come to realize my inadequacies and where my true responsibilities needed to be. All of that said, I absolutely do not condemn any woman that works outside the home. I know that sometimes it's a necessity and Proverbs 31 instructs us to be hard workers, that's clear. This is all I beg of you...evaluate your priorities regularly. Make sure that the value of your soul is in Christ alone who drives you to take care of your family and home first, and not in the value of your annual salary.

Shortly after I joined the ranks of stay-at-home-momdom, I realized there was still a lot I didn't know, that's where one of my new favorite books comes in. The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet (By Darlene Schacht) really gave me wise and practical counsel during those early days back at home. She breaks down the heart work involved with caring for your family as a woman of God (the whys) and then the hard work (the hows). In the first section, Darlene is quick to identify with readers, sharing her own challenges as unnatural housekeeper turned domestic diva only by God's grace. She's extremely relatable and candid in her writing; many parts of her book read like a heart-to-heart with a good friend. The second section is a practical guide for keeping house. As someone who's also domestically challenged (and has also been known to have more clothes on the floor than in drawers) this is just what I needed to direct my actions. She provides many lists for chores, frugality, upkeep, and simplifying homemaking. I would buy and recommend the book for this section alone.

Because Darlene (aka Time Warp Wife) is such a sweet lady who desperately wants to serves others and share the truth of what God commands us to do as wives and moms, she's agreed to give away The Good Wife's Guide, in eBook form to two of my readers. If you'd like to register to win a copy of this awesome ebook, you can do so via the no-fuss Rafflecopter widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway