When you think about homemaking and all the lovely things that are involved, one name always comes to mind— Martha Stewart. Anybody who has ever dreamed of having a nice cozy house certainly knows who Martha Stewart is. She has mastered her craft and has succeeded in building her name as the one who has perfected the art of homemaking.

Out of curiosity, I googled her name and checked to see how her family is. I am already sure that her house looks perfect and is most probably free of any kind of bug/insect. Perhaps she even doesn’t remember what “dust” is. What I was curious about was her marriage. How is her relationship with her husband? Is she serving her well? How is her relationship with her daughter? Did she raise her well?

I then found out that yes, she has perfected the art of housekeeping. But homemaking? She has not quite succeeded in that area yet. Of course, all of us would always have a lot to learn about building a family. I don’t think one can ever perfect that, since we are talking about dealing with imperfect individuals. But I find it a bit ironic that the woman we all know as the one who has perfected the art of homemaking actually still needs to work a lot on making a real home for her family.

No matter how much I love the idea of having a perfectly-beautiful house, ultimately it is my family I am accountable for. I am accountable for how I serve and support my husband. I am accountable for how I train my kids in accordance to God’s Word. I am accountable for how much of a blessing our family is to the community and how we, as a family, honor God with how we live our lives.

At the end of the day, a beautiful house will be just that— a beautiful house. A beautiful home, however, with a family that is in tact and lovingly serving God together— is something that will surely leave a God-honoring legacy and touch many lives. May we not confuse homemaking with home-making… The latter being the higher goal.

Of course, having perfectly-pressed linens and perfect-smelling rooms in the process wouldn’t hurt!