A House of Order

The Road Home, Mendocino by Rita Crane

This is something that is on mind quite frequently, because well...I'm a stay-at-home mom who makes or breaks the environment in this house. For some this comes so naturally & I'm wildly jealous of you if you fit in this category. I do my best in the cleaning department & do an okay job; not perfect by far, but okay. I do believe though that a house of order is much more than a tidy house.

I went searching a couple years ago for a system that would help me stay on top of my cleaning duties. I discovered these. They have helped immensely. Each day I know what to do in order to keep order. It's lovely. I have also been known to peruse flylady's site. She helps you gain organization one zone at a time. I like her thoughts, but for some reason am turned off by her style. Point is, when you can find a system that works for you it's much easier to stick with it.

So beyond its cleanliness, I've discovered there are many other things that make a house of order. I came upon this while preparing a lesson the other day:

"The Lord said, 'Mine house is a house of order...and not a house of confusion.' If we pattern our homes according to our Heavenly Father's guidance, we will be better parents. An orderly home is a home where parents preside, direct, and teach; where all have responsibilities and are considerate and thoughtful of each other; and where family members are knit together with love. (D&C 88:119)"

Perfect! It was not what I was expecting. No where in that description does it talk about a clean house! I am a mother. I love this job. Yes, it's difficult on days and lonely on others. But I know I'm making a difference in trying to nurture, preside, direct, teach and clean. More than anything, I want my child to feel loved and important. When I do my best at creating a house of order, this will happen!

In Oct. '07 LDS general conference Julie B. Beck shared this:

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness.⁵ To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a "house of order," and women should pattern their homes after the Lord's house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women."

I want to be one who nurtures. I want growth. For myself, for my child, for my husband. It will happen most successfully in the home. A home with order.