A Wise Woman...Have I Been?

I know I normally post family pictures and happenings here on this blog, but this morning the Lord is dealing with me on an issue and I feel the need to organize my thoughts and "get it down on paper" so to speak.  I thought there was the possibility of it helping someone else so here I am.

The other day I was reading in 1 Corinthians for my devotions.  It was one of those days that I didn't have time to really study the Word, but I was squeezing in a chapter between sending Hubby off to school/work and getting in some exercise before the kiddos woke up for the day.  

I read chapter 3, spent a few minutes in prayer, and went on about my day.  But as the day progressed I realized the Lord was bringing back a thought that I had read that morning.  The chapter is talking about each person having his own job to do - one is a planter, one is the waterer, one lays the foundation, one builds on the foundation, etc. and each will be rewarded according to the job he was given.  It goes on to say, "... But each one should be careful how he builds....his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (vs 10b, 13-15 NIV)

The thought kept coming to me that this verse ties in perfectly with Proverbs 14:1,

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 As a woman and a mother my job that I've been given by the Lord is to build my home.  To me this means that the majority of the  responsibility of raising my children for Christ lies with me since I'm the one at home with them 90% of the time.  It means that it's my job to make sure I'm providing a home that's full of peace and joy that will be a blessing to my husband and family.  It's my job to make sure that I myself have a strong relationship with Jesus and a Christ centered life that will be a witness and an example to my children.  The thought keeps nagging me, "Have I been spending my time building my home or have I been more focused on frivolous things that will in the end prove worthless and maybe even tear it down?"

In my mind, I was putting these verses together and the Lord was making it personal in my heart.

A wise woman builds her house, but she should be careful how she builds it.  Her work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of her work.  If what she has built survives, she will receive her reward.  If it is burned up, she will suffer loss; she herself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

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Wow, right?!?  This is what has been laying heavily on my heart.  I am accountable to God for the job I've been given.  Not only to raise my children safely to adulthood and provide for their well being, but the quality of my work will be tested with fire and it has to be able to survive that!  The Lord reminded me that all the well written blog posts in the world won't matter in a fire.  Thrifty decorating ideas and new recipes won't withstand the flames.  Time spent on Facebook would burn up in a split second and be reduced to worthless ashes at His feet.  These are things He has been convicting me of because this is how I spend my free time, and sadly enough I'm guilty of doing these things in my not-so-free time.  Time that I should have been doing other things that would benefit my family.  (Maybe there are things in your life that wouldn't survive a testing by fire that He's speaking to you about right now.)  

These things that I enjoy - my blog, my Etsy shop, other people's blogs, and Facebook, are not necessarily wrong and I don't plan to give them up completely unless the Lord shows me I should, BUT...I do feel like I've been spending too much time doing things that would not stand up to "fire."  I need to focus more of my time and energy doing the job that God has given me and making for certain my home is Christ centered, and my children are being raised for Him and only Him.  Everything else is nothing in the end.  Yes, I might survive the fire but if my family is lost then I'm coming through it as one who is escaping the flames.  I escaped, but oh how utterly painful it was!

I want to make sure that what I'm building proves worthy on Judgment Day, and if that means less time spent on the computer and more time spent focusing on God, my home, and my family then that's what I commit to.  I don't want to spend my life on frivolous things only to get to the end and see it burned up as nothing.

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How about the job God has given you?  
Will the quality of your work stand up to the fires of testing on Judgment Day?