It’s O.K. to Be a Homebody
It’s OK to be a Homebody
As a mom of 3 small children, all 3 ages 4 and under, I have had to realize that what is best for my children, my husband, and for me is that I become a homebody.
I already know that to even suggest that I think that being a homebody is what is “best” for my family can be so annoying to other moms who are not homebodies at all. So let me just stop you from getting your panties all up in a wad.
Notice I said “what is best for MY family”. Not what is best for you, not what is best for everyone. Now, after reading this, you too may realize that you have been trying to hold on to the ways of your former, exciting life like I have been, and you too may realize that being a homebody is what you need. But you may not. And that is ok.
So, now that I have cleared that up, I will proceed. 😂
First, let me take you back into my life a little bit so you can understand why realizing I need to embrace homebodyness has been a HUGE struggle for me.
I have NEVER wanted to stay home.
Never.
I LOVE going, going, going.
Once I was 18 years old, I moved to a different state to go to college. I lived and went to college 25 minutes from downtown Dallas and LOVED it!
It was exactly what my little heart wanted..... BUSY.
It was people.
It was chaos.
It was fun.
It was excitement.
It was adventure.
And then it didn’t stop after college.
Because after college, I began working for the university. And my job was recruiting. So what that meant was LOTS of travel!!
More people
More chaos.
More fun.
More excitement.
More adventure.
I was able to travel to almost every state and meet people all across the country.
I spoke and sang in front of HUGE crowds.
I was in a worship band that led worship at huge events and I traveled a lot with them as well.
Then I changed careers.
I became a teacher, met the man of my dreams, got engaged, planned a wedding, bought a house, got married, went on a honeymoon, and moved to a whole new town all in the matter of about 2 years.
More people.
More chaos.
More fun.
More excitement.
More adventure.
Then I found my new teaching job and soon after started my Master’s program to move up the ranks in education. Then became pregnant 3 times in 5 years and have also started a very successful at home business.
More people.
More chaos.
More fun.
More excitement.
More adventure.
It never stops.
My desire for more.
More, more, more.
And just having that desire is not a sin. Considering what I have been used to for the past 2 decades, it’s normal to feel the way I feel. But where it becomes a sin is when I act out in a negative way or become depressed because “exactly what I want” in any given moment isn’t happening.
My life becomes “boring” and “ordinary” and I can become depressed.
That. Is. Sin.
It is gross.
It is ungrateful.
It lacks contentment.
It lacks peace.
It lacks everything Christ wants for my day to day life.
Just today in my Bible reading, this was there...
“Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: you should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the light of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. That became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for MORE AND MORE.”
Ephesians 4:17-19
Just more and more and more and more....
Never satisfied.
And let me be very clear here.
I currently (at the time of this original writing) am staying home with my 3 children, I keep my good friend’s son who is the same age as my daughter every morning, I am homeschooling my daughter and my friend’s son, I run an “at home business” where I have appointments in my house almost daily, one of my children is still a baby, I workout regularly, and I have play dates a LOT!!
I AM BUSY!
I am still busy.
But all of the busyness is now normal to me.
It is now ordinary.
And a lot of it is pretty mind numbing.
Caring for children, even when you LOVE your children and are so unbelievably thankful you get to take care of them can becoming very mind numbing and “Groundhogs Day-ish”.
So, what I end up doing because I want more?? I end up trying to go and do things that are NOT FOR ME RIGHT NOW!!
They are not bad things.
They are just not for me right now.
Trying to be gone and leave my family for reasons that are not absolutely necessary is just not for me right now.
It NEVER produces the fruits I want it to produce.
It only exhausts me and once I am home back with my family, I feel exhausted instead of rejuvenated like I thought it would.
What I feel the Lord saying to me is this... He will give me exactly what I need to be home. But no more. What I have going on at my house is so much and if I ever start to feel stir crazy I cannot run off away from my family.
I can ONLY run to the Lord.
So, what this will look like from here going forward until I feel a release to be gone more is I will embrace being a homebody.
I will have to say no to a lot of things that may look fun, exciting, people filled, adventurous, etc and just stay home.
And when I feel stir crazy, instead of running off to some women’s retreat or nail session or girl’s night, I will ask my husband for some time alone in my house and go spend that time with the Lord.
ONLY He can fill me up right now.
Getting my nails done will not fill this empty vessel.
Getting my hair done will not fill this empty vessel.
Going to a concert will not fill this empty vessel.
Going shopping will not fill this empty vessel.
Only God will.
I ONLY need more, more, and more of Jesus.
