Hi! This week I have an exciting announcement to make! For the past few weeks I have been doing a lot of planning and preparing. And that is because…
I’m putting together a home management video series!
Ekonomia
The BadgerDad and I spent some time brainstorming a title for this series. And eventually we settled on: Ekonomia: Home Management toward Heaven. So why Ekonomia? Well, Ekonomia, which is the Greek word oikonomia, and in English, economy, is an important word within Christianity. It refers to the ordering of things. The Economy of Salvation is how God ordered the means of our restoration and purification within the world. This would include how He gives us grace through the sacraments or holy mysteries.
Economy also refers to how we manage the resources we have. This includes our stuff, our time, and our finances. And so economy is how we manage our household.
Now as Christians, we specifically want to focus on making sure the way we manage our home reflects our faith. We want home management to bring us closer to God, and not distract us from Him. And so in my video series I aim to cover a balanced look at all the aspects of home life and how we can pull it all together in a way which honours God first.
Aspects of Home Management
The main reason to have a home management system is organization. We want our homes to be ordered towards the good, the true, and the beautiful. We want to order our homes towards God. The ordering of our homes can give us a sense of peace where before there was stress and panic. This in turn can allow us to rest in Christ, even on busy and difficult days.
There are a couple different things I plan to focus on in the home management series. The first is simplifying. And that includes simplifying our stuff, and how we spend our time, and money. Next we work on building a firm foundation of home life. There are three areas of home life we cover here: the spiritual foundation, the physical foundation, and the family foundation. After these we move on to meals, cleaning, and budgeting, which we address as we experience success from the the firm, foundational habits. Finally we will set the stage for a firm future. There we will look to build upon the foundations we have laid, and make plans for continuing to bringing ourselves and our families closer to God.
Daily Home Management
Recently, I received a question from a blog follower: what do I do every day to run my home. Given that I had started planning this video home management series, I decided to answer with a video: Firm Foundations: Daily Non-Negotiables for Leading a Life of Rest in Christ. Also, making the video is good practice for when I start filming the actual series!
Basically, though, there are three levels for my daily non-negtiables.
Level One: Bedrest. On days where I am sick I only focus on doing two things: Rosary and Recovery. Everything else my husband can take care of, or it will have to wait until I am feeling better. This level is obviously rare, but did happen recently when I had three wisdom teeth removed.
Level Two: Just the Basics. Sometimes it is just a rough day. It is raining outside and everyone can feel the gloom, or perhaps one of the kids is sick. Then I focus on just the basics. These are rosary, icon corner, dishes, laundry, and reading aloud at bedtime.
Level Three: Thriving. These are the best days. Everyone is energized and ready to go about their respective work. On these days I have three spiritual goals – rosary, icon corner, and spiritual reading. I also have three household goals – dishes, laundry, and one cleaning task. Finally, there are three kids goals – read aloud to them, do something math related, and something related to reading or writing skills with each child.
Prayer of Dedication to the Theotokos
Recently we released an article on dedicating the our new church year to the Theotokos. If you are interested, here is a prayer dedicating you, your family, and your home to the care of the Mother of God.
(Part One – Home)
O most Holy Theotokos, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary, God chose you to be His dwelling place, His own home. Your heart is the greatest of all heavens, and your womb the favoured throne of God. Through you, Christ came to redeem us from our iniquities, and restore us to God.
And so I choose to dedicate my home to you. Take my home, my family, and my life as your own. You know what pleases Christ your Son, and so I ask you today to make my home one that is pleasing to Him. Help me to remove from my home the things which are no longer helping my family serve God. Guide me to focus on the adorable Trinity as I work within my home to serve God and my family. And share with me the maternal love you bear for us as your children, that I may learn to love my family as God intends.
(Part Two – Self)
And take me, though unworthy to be your servant [handmaid], as I consecrate myself to you. With my Guardian Angel as my witness, I choose to serve you, O most Holy Theotokos, as my advocate and my mother, given to me by your Son, on the Cross. I promise to love you and to serve you, and to share this love with as many others as I may. Aid me in all my thoughts, words, and actions, so that every moment of my life is ordered towards the glory of God. Through your intercession, may I turn away from sin and cease from offending Jesus, your Son. And instead, my I join you in praising Him forever in Heaven.
O Mother of God, restoration of the fallen Adam, redemption of the tears of Eve, hear my petition to you, for though I am the poorest of sinners, I have complete confidence in you, who have the power to capture the heart of God.
O Theotokos! Pray for me, your child and lead me and my family to Christ, your Son.
Amen.
The Byzantine Life
Thank you for checking out this week’s article. Check out our articles on Home Organization, or the Byzantine Rosary.
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