Wherever women are found, whether in politics, sport or the Church, the home is certainly the place where she excels, and it is unfortunate that there are those who regard the woman who does not go out to work, or does not take up a career, as missing out.
Living as we do in times of financial stringency for some, wives are finding it necessary to do extra work to supplement their income, but even this must not cloud the fact that the raising of a family is a tremendously worthwhile task.
The woman then is very much the mistress of the home, and the running of it is her speciality. How amazing when a problem arises or when something cannot be found, the cry usually is "Wait till Mum comes home, she'll know!"
Who can assess Hannah's influence on the young prophet-to-be Samuel; Eunice on Timothy; Elizabeth on John Baptist or Susannah on John Wesley? The first seven years of a child's life are very important.
A woman also influences her husband, not by senseless nagging, but by example and advice. This is one of the positive elements of being a helpmeet, which means being suited. It is true that some husbands can be difficult, and one way to deal with awkwardness is to try to understand one another. This can make a great difference.
The woman can contribute so much to the atmosphere of the home. It should be a haven of peace and happiness to which the husband and the family are glad to return.
I had a friend, a bachelor, who once made a very interesting observation. He was an itinerating preacher, and had stayed in many homes, which made the statement valid. He said, "A wife should make the home a place from which the husband can do his best work. Every self-respecting woman wants to have a clean and tidy house, and this is right, but it is possible to become so obsessed with having everything in its place that tension is created. Let's go back to Proverbs (14:4) for some relevant wisdom. "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean'. What is the good of a clean crib to the fanner if nothing is happening?
In the home characters are being formed, lives are being lived and there will be some untidiness at times, but it's in the nature of things while something is happening.