Watchwoman.

‘Be busy at home.’

That’s what my Bible says young wives and mothers should be. That phrase had always some-what bothered me.  To my perfectionist tendencies, it hinted at dawn-to-dusk ironing, washing, caring for children, husband, too-many guests, having cushions all aligned, scrumptious food eaten hot from the oven, and no sleep! It also didn’t sit right with me when reading the story of Jesus with Mary and Martha.  Although Martha was not wrong in her hospitality, Jesus clearly felt that relationship with him was more important than the dishes.  (Hallelujah!)

I recently read Titus 2:5 in a new light.

The King James version talks of young wives and mothers being ‘keepers of the home’.  The Greek uses the word oikourous which means ‘to guard or watch over’.  The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 ‘watches over the affairs of her household’, with the words ‘watches over’ coming from the word tsaphah used for a ‘watchman’ in Hebrew, meaning ‘to lean forward, to peer into the distance, to observe, to keep watch.’

So it’s not all about doing then!  I suddenly understood at a much deeper level what my calling is as a mother and a wife at home.  It is to guard and watch over my home:  to be a watchwoman.  God has given me the responsibility to watch, to observe, to hold things up to him in prayer, to be aware of the influences on my family and to preempt and warn of potential dangers approaching.  When my two-year old is unsettled, it is my responsibility to watch which things are influencing him, to pray for him, to prepare him for or protect him from oncoming dangers.  When the dialogue between my husband and I is becoming more and more tense, it is my responsibility to be aware of the outside strains and pressures and spiritual warfare and bring them to the Lord in prayer.

He also asks me to be patient – to wait and watch, resting in him and trusting in Him.  Trusting that over time the seeds that have been planted in the lives of my children, husband and whoever else is currently living with us, will bear fruit.

• Where has God called you to be a watchwoman at the moment?
• What are the tasks and qualities of a watchman? How do they apply to where you are called to keep watch? (Jeremiah 6:16; Isaiah 52:8, 1 Samuel 14:16, Matthew 24:43)