The Pilgrimage of Homemaking: Our Journey to Faithfulness in Our Home

In April we are often springing forward into a new life, new love, and new growth. And just as the earth that was somewhat sleeping in winter starts to awaken it is the ideal time to start on a renewed pilgrimage of homemaking.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy and privacy policy.

You may wonder what I mean by the “pilgrimage of homemaking“. Well, it’s as simple as reminding ourselves that homemaking is a daily journey toward home. As a Christian, this of course has a deeper meaning to the faith that I choose to share with my children.

A big part of this lifestyle of education is pointing my children to God in the daily life we live. An easy way to do that is in nature study. Home isn’t simply the building we live in, but the life we live together.

Home is — or should be — the shelter in which we taste a love or beauty that ultimately drives us out in spirit, searching for its source.

Sarah Clarkson – The Lifegiving Home pg 103

It’s this kind of simplicity that is sometimes looked at as if we’re radical homemakers in today’s world. To believe everything points back to God. If you’re interested in learning about that check out this blog post about Shannon Hayes’ book Radical Homemaking.

A HomeLife that Is Rooted In Faith

In this April’s chapter in the Lifegiving Home Sarah talks about A Heritage of Faith in her entire family. And how a child’s first companions of a spiritual journey will be those whom they share a home with, parents and siblings.

She says, “No Pilgrim just walks out the door one spring morning and manages to make a successful quest.” Therefore there is training or discipleship, that must take place. You see, real Pilgrims will undertake preparation in prayer, gathering supplies, and ultimately building their courage to keep going when the road gets dark.

As a homemaker, there are so many opportunities to involve my children in my everyday ministries. You could even call it creating a family tradition.

And though they may not seem spectacular, exciting, or grand in the scheme of it all. It is the small and quiet ministries of home that are, in my opinion, the most powerful and important.

Establishing Habits of Faith Early

This is possibly the most important rhythm we can establish in our homes. The behavior of faith in the dependable daily practices we keep. One thing I always felt lacking in my own childhood was an explanation of why.

Children long to understand the deeper meanings of our acts. Especially in ministry to truly love each other as God loves us. Take the time to explain your vision and drive, and the reasons behind your service. Instead of making them feel obligated to religious practices.

…the identity of a pilgrim called to follow after God shapes our deepest sense of self. It was an identity learned at my mom’s elbow, in my dad’s simple song. And it’s one that remains deep within us…

Sarah Clarkson – The Lifegiving Home pg. 105

Watch on YouTube

Conveying the Tone and Feel of Home

Each household has its own distinct musical rhythm of faith. Our entire world and that of our children will be affected by how we set the music of our spirituality. In our pilgrimage of homemaking, it’s ultimately our job to set the tone and feel of our home.

Will it be a lilting dance of faith or a stately march of sanctification — or one after the other?…Does it move forward at breathtaking speed or progress at a slower and steady pace…?

Sarah Clarkson – The Lifegiving Home pg. 106

The music of our homes must be chosen, cultivated, and practiced. We are able to weave a beautiful tapestry of a shared pilgrimage of faith. It’s ours to design. But also ours to be faithful within the daily homemaking.

If you’re enjoying this post so far be sure to check out the others in my series reflecting on each month’s chapter in The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson.

Earnestly Teaching Our Children by Sharing Our Journeys

I am guilty of not having been very faithful in this aspect of being a faithful pilgrim. Oh sure, I included devotional time in our daily homeschool schedule. But my own personal faith habits have been lacking.

Especially when I now have a teenager who is about to embark on high school. The pressure to prepare him for the road ahead grows heavy on my mind.

By the time I was a teenager, my “quiet time” half hour was a staple of my day, a habit of devotion that remained and steadied me, through deep seasons of questioning, sorrow, and doubt.

Sarah Clarkson – The Lifegiving home pg. 106

As a mother and homemaker, it is often a real worry that I’m not sewing good enough seeds of discipleship in my children. I’ve not been taking them with me on my journey because I haven’t been traveling that road assuredly.

But I have hope because as I’m reading through this book I am reminded that I’m still in that season. The pilgrimage of homemaking is an opportunity every day to grow and learn and share, even in my failures and shortcomings.

Wherever we’re at in our pilgrimage of homemaking we can start anew. We can create our morning devotional times and gather our children under our wings to teach them while we ourselves learn.

That is the beauty of motherhood. They say the days are long, but the years are short, but I feel like the days are short and the years are short. And if today is all we have, let’s start today. The point is to seek God’s presence before doing anything else on a given day.

What Does Faithfulness Look Like in Everyday Life?

This has probably been the biggest hang-up in my own parenting journey. It isn’t that I don’t want to share these things. I’m just not sure what they look like because they weren’t present in my own childhood.

Maybe you struggle in the same way. When I picture devotional time I imagine some long-drawn-out process, constant interruptions, and boredom. But I love how she describes their family breakfast and morning time in the lifegiving home.

…we tried to start our mornings off with a shared breakfast before going off into our respective worlds. Devotions followed breakfast…They didn’t usually last long. Someone would read a passage from scripture, and we would discuss it for a few minutes, and my dad would read aloud a chapter from a daily devotional.

Sarah Clarkson – The Lifegiving Home pg. 107

She also goes into detail describing the real-life scenes of squirming, spilling juice, playing with the dog on the floor, or even competing for a favorite spot on the couch. All things I can see happening in our home, as they’re a part of our regular school routine!

Faithfulness can be a struggle, even for the most ardently faithful. Because we’re all human beings. And in my pilgrimage of homemaking, I am striving to remember, that grace removes the burden of guilt.

My pilgrimage of homemaking has so much to do with how I interpret my faith in Jesus in my everyday life. The choice I have every single day is to be joyful, instead of frustrated. To look at a challenge as a new way to do something vs. an obstacle, which I’m often tempted with.

Ultimately as a mother and homemaker, it’s those small things in quiet moments when I chose to smile and show my children the grace I so often crave myself that we will cherish the most.

Not the daily tasks like cleaning the dishes, dusting furniture, or even the coveted emptied laundry baskets. The most important thing is each day’s faithful walk building onto the next. Shaping the images of God in our children’s minds in a real-life way.

In conclusion, Let’s Remember Our Home And Everyday Life Is a Work of Art

No two will look the same, each of our families, homes, rhythms, and routines will vary as will our pilgrimage of homemaking. So let’s not get caught up in a game of comparisons either.

I’m going to take this April to pick myself back up in areas where I feel like I’ve faltered. And I’m resolved to bring my children with me into a season of new growth.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Julie