A Wise Woman Builds Her House

With just weeks left before listing our current home for sale, my husband and I have been thinking quite a bit lately about home repairs, renovations and upgrades. As a woman, I can’t help but think about a proverb from an ancient king and an exhortation from a New Testament apostle.

It all started with a subscription to This Old House magazine. When my husband and I bought our first home about eight years ago—a roughly 100-year-old arts and crafts style house—some friends of ours knew we’d need some guidance on how to maintain our fixer-upper. Their generous housewarming gift to us was a subscription to the handy magazine.

“Arced” curiosity

And I was hooked from the very beginning. When each issue arrived, I would read it cover to cover. I still remember vividly one of the articles that discussed wiring and how electrical codes have changed over the past several decades. Probably not exactly the average individual’s ideal for a fascinating read, but considering that our house at the time retained evidence of previous knob-and-tube wiring, I found it quite helpful.

Every month I learned something new and beneficial. And while I didn’t tackle a renovation project with each new issue, I did learn some skills over the years as a homeowner. Plumbing, quite possibly my least favorite homeowner’s task initially, was something I specifically gained proficiency in, merely out of necessity.

As any homeowner knows, it can be quite expensive to call in service repair when something goes wrong. But I learned that with the right tools and a little bit of research, I could save money by simply completing the task myself. Granted, what would have taken a pro 30 minutes to complete took me the better part of a day, at least at first. But with each project, I gained a tremendous sense of accomplishment, my proficiency increased (as did my stash of tools!) and eventually projects were completed more rapidly. My sister even began calling me a “handy ma’am.”

A burst pipe, soldering job or exposed wire now no longer fill me with dread or despair. In fact, I get downright excited at the prospect of a trip to the do-it-yourself stores!

Plumbing the depths

So why does all of this make me think about the Bible? Perhaps it’s rather literal of me, but as I work on my house, I think of the following proverb from King Solomon: “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (Proverbs 14:1).

Solomon was primarily talking about relationship building, but the concept becomes more real to me as I work on my own home, making repairs and upgrades as needed.

Of course the Proverbs also caution against making foolish decisions: After installing a new floor, for example, I knew that reconnecting the radiators was a project beyond my current capabilities, considering the new height differential in the floor. So instead of foolishly trying to do the work myself, I called in a plumber.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul encourages the women of Crete to be “homemakers” (Titus 2:5) and asks that young women “manage the house” (1 Timothy 5:14). Lest this directive sound like a punishment instead of a privilege, consider that the Greek word used here indicates someone who is a master of household matters. Nor does this limit women to a solely domestic career.

The implication is that in managing our responsibilities well, we should be working toward achieving a level of mastery, like a master artisan or a master builder.

Skillful builders

The biblical counsel to us women to wisely build our houses—manage well our homes and families and master our household affairs—grants us a very unique perspective. Another section of Scripture tells us that collectively we Christians are “the temple of God” (1 Corinthians 3:16) and “God’s building” (verse 9). Building and managing our homes on a daily basis reinforces the concept that God chooses to make His home with us!

As we achieve a level of mastery in matters that impact our homes and lives, let’s become skillful builders of His temple as well. Further recommended reading on this subject includes 1 Corinthians 3:9-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; and 1 Peter 2:4-10.

Debbie lives with her husband, Guye, in northern Illinois, though they are soon to be transferred to Ohio. A couple of her upcoming house projects include replacing a sink trap and installing quarter round molding. She just might need to buy a new tool for that. …

See more posts by Debbie Pennington:

• At Your Service
• Four Enemies of Faith
• The Complaint-Free Challenge
• Think Beyond the Label