Ladies, Is It "Nice"?

"Is it nice?" This is a question I think we need to ask ourselves more on a regular basis. I'm talking about matters of the senses, yes the 5 senses. I happen to believe that we serve a God of beauty, creativity, and order. Being a woman, much of our 'role' has to do with the word 'nice' (not in the complacent casual sense but in the true meaning of the word - pleasant) when it comes to presentation of ourselves, our homes, and our skills for the health, happiness, and benefit of our families. So let's go over a few basics that we (including MYSELF) need to ask ourselves on a frequent basis. 1) Home - is it nice? Is it presentable? If your neighbor across the street shows up needing to borrow cinnamon (that's how it goes in our neighborhood and we like that), is the house a wreck and are you embarassed to let them in? What about JWs or Mormons who frequent homes at the most random times? Is the way our home looks a testimony to the God we serve? Or is our home messy unorganized as though we dont care about our God-given assignment of being a wife? Okay okay before you ladies give me glares and say 'but what about [...]', I'm not saying that our homes need to look perfect and every nook and cranny dusted, but what I am saying is, is your home presentable? Does it look like you care about the house (or apartment) you consider 'home'? It matters that our house is truly a home, a place of refuge and love for hard-working husbands and children in the home (or coming home from school). Our homes say a lot about who we are and where our priorities lie! And P.S. Just because you have children, doesnt mean your homes have to be forever messy. Infants dont make much of a mess and toddlers can learn (and emulate!) early on how to 'help mommy' be neat and tidy. 2) Appearance - is it nice? Now, I realize probably every single woman is going to have a slightly different definition of what she considers to be 'pretty' or 'stylish', but the main thing is - do we actually take the time to care about the way we present ourselves? It is not superficial to want to look tidy and pretty. It doesnt take gobs of money to care about our appearance. When the husband comes home or when visitors 'show up' randomly, is your hair at least combed and you have decent clothes on? A lot of people have the 'sweats [or yoga pants] and a T is good enough' mentality, but in all reality think about it - does it take any more effort to put something decent on? I can pay the same for a few casual but neat presentable clothes as I would for nighties and yoga pants and a t-shirt, it just takes a bit of thrift! How we look also says a lot about us - do we care about ourselves at all? Can we "love our neighbor as ourselves" very well if we dont even show that we take interest in our own bodies? In this category also falls the sensitive issue of weight. I'm not gonna sit here and say that weight can be dropped just like a stack of books. It is easier for some and harder for others, but the real question that only we can answer in our own minds is - am I 'letting myself go' or do I care about my health and appearance enough to make healthy selections, portion sizes, and nutrition on a regular basis? And as far as exercise goes, we dont all need to join an expensive gym. Sometimes just taking care of point #2 (Home) can help shed those extra pounds in addition to those of us chasing kids around! :) 2) Smell - does it smell nice? Yes, this can pertain first and foremost to ourselves and goes hand in hand with appearance. Personal hygiene is important. No, not all of us can afford (both time and money) the luxury of a shower or hot bath twice a day but we can still smell nice. There are stores that carry perfumes and shampoos for just a couple dollars if that and if we need to skip a shower one day, then there's corn starch that does wonders for hair and body odor! But really, it doesnt take more than 10 minutes to take care of the basics of hygiene. And without going into detail, theres many creative ways to keep the infants/young children content and safe whilst getting cleaned up. :) Also, smell when it comes to the home. Laundry AND dishes that pile up can really stink, so get to these things fairly quickly and research a few thrifty tips to make your home smell fresh and pleasant. 3) Sound - does it sound pleasant or is there too much noise? I wasnt even going to include this but I realize that this is a really important point! I'll start with the most obvious one I can think of - my voice! I once heard the quote: "A woman sets the tone for her home" and though it meant more than vocal tone, this quote has a good literal point as well! How do I talk during the day as a wife and mother? Is my tone and attitude harsh and irritable? Or do I talk sweetly and pleasantly, even in matters of disagreement or discipline? How do I talk with my husband both in front of the kids and away from the kids? Another thing about sound is background 'noise'. Am I playing loud music that is disturbing to myself and my family or is the background noise quiet and soothing? I find nothing wrong with blasting praise music that uses instruments (look up Psalm 150!), but I try to be sure its music that does indeed glorify God and I dont have it on all day long, just certain times during the day. And the same goes for the TV, is it on too loud? Is the TV/radio/iPod blasting when the hubby comes home from work? It's not very welcoming. Just a few things to think about! 4) Touch - I'll start with the best kind of touch: affection! Do we give healthy touches of love to our children and husband? Or are we stingy in this department? And when it comes to marital touch, lets not forget that our bodies are not our own but that when we said 'I do' we gave our bodies to each other to share and to love. Touch can also apply to how we feel and how our house feels. Do we take the time to put some lotion on? It truly can be soothing to our children, pleasant to our husbands, and yes soothing to ourselves too to know that we feel nice. And what about things like sheets and bedding and such? Is it fresh and soft? Let's put tenderness and gentleness into everything we do, from our attitudes to our laundry etc. 5) Food - is it nice? Now I realize food isnt just 1 sense but includes mulitiple senses. So a few things to ask is a) Is is healthy for my family b) is it frugal, yet special c) does it look appealing, is it a nice presentation and d) and the obvious one, does it taste good? These things do matter. There's a piece of wisdom my mom gave me concerning food, she remembers that growing up as a child in her parents house her mom always took the time to make food really special for the family. It looked good, smelled good, tasted good. You knew that food was one very special way she showed her love to her family and many many happy memories came from the dining room. I too would like to emulate this with my own family. I dont have to be Julia Child, but it doesnt take much beyond practice and a few good cookbooks (or just looking it up online for free) to find meals that are healthy and yummy and financially practical as well. Well, I think I've said enough and my toddler will be waking up very soon! I write this as an encouragement to all of you ladies - dont forget that your calling as a woman is a very special one! It is a pleasure and priviledge to be able to be hospitible to both family, friends, and the stranger by the way we take care in our appearance, the way we keep our homes, preparing food, etc. All of these are ways that we can bless our families and all who enter our lives. It's all part of our testimony to the beautiful, gracious, and loving LORD we serve.