Praise Her in the Gates

I am involved on the steering committee for our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at church and one of my "jobs" this year is to write book reviews for the newsletter. So since I already have a little summary written out, I figured I might as well post it here too in case anyone else is interested...

“Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:31

The book for this first month is “Praise Her in the Gates” by Nancy Wilson. Nancy is a very convicting writer that will stir your thoughts and challenge you in your walk as a mother. In this book, she pinpoints very specific areas of everyday motherhood and gives biblical suggestions how to handle those situations. Some of the chapters in the book include “Manners: Church Behavior, Friends, Family”, “Loving the Kids: Dinnertime, Bedtime, Holidays”, “When the Kids are Sick”, and “The Domestic Arts” to name a few.

One of the ideas in the book that stuck out to me was in the chapter called “Setting Standards: God's Rules and House Rules”. As any mom will readily admit, we are busy people and probably too quick to say no to our children, especially if we are in a hurry or in the middle of something. Nancy suggests finding ways to say yes to your children as often as possible so their little worlds aren't full of only no's all day long. She suggests having specific drawers in the kitchen that are “yes” drawers or finding time to get out play dough even if you really don't want to. She also mentions that it is important to be wise in what you command and to be careful not to overwhelm your children by expecting them to remember all the rules all the time. Find ways to cheerfully remind them and pour out lots of love, affection and encouragement so that bad behavior doesn't result from your children having a low love tank.

Another chapter that stuck out to me was “The Pleasant Home”, in which Nancy highlights different areas of your home and how you as a wife and mother can bring joy to those areas and will in turn help change the atmosphere in your family. Some of the questions she asks are “Is your home a lovely place to be?”, “Are there flowers in the windowsill?”, “What kind of artwork is on the walls?”, “Does it often smell of cookies or bread baking?”, “Is your home filled with good things?”. Our homes are to be havens of rest and beauty that our family and friends can come to to be refreshed and equipped to go out and serve others. A pleasant home should be spiritually and physically clean to have a complete picture of how God cleans us both inside and out. She finishes the chapter by with this challenging statement, “To say that how your house looks doesn't matter as long as everyone is happy is like saying the gospel doesn't affect the externals. And that is a sad mistake.”

*This book review is from our September 2008 meeting.*