Day 60: Practice Shared Servanthood

Scripture to Memorize:
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instructions is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:26-27
Passage to Read:
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers serveed beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15
Prayer:
Dear Lord, serving you is desireable to me. I choose this day to serve you. Help me set an example for my household. Let me be an example to those around me of the blessings of serving you. Holy Spirit give me the wisdom and spiritual discerment to serve God instead of the gods of this land. Help me to do what is pleasing to God. In Jesus name, Amen.
Practical:
Today Donna instructs us to teach our children to do chores and to help them develop a servant-heart. According to Donna (and I agree) "Mom isn't the household servant." She also quotes a study that found that children who had chores as early as when they were 3 and 4 were more successful as adults. They were more likely to complete their education, get a good start on a career, develop adult relationships, and avoid the use of drugs. According to the study early participation in household chores was deemed more important than any other factor, in their success. This included IQ scores.
Donna instructs us to introduce our families to the three caddies that you created yesterday. Also remember behavior that gets reward gets repeated. Rewards do not necessarily have to be monetary. Praise, time doing a favorite game, time alone with a parent doing something they enjoy, etc. can be rewards too. Also people don't do what you expect; they do what you inspect. So don't only reward your children but also inspect their work.
As a Proverbs 31 women our jobs are to watch over our households but not to do all the work by ourselves.
Donna also recommends sitting down with our families and negotiating a strategy for shared servanthood. Everyone lives in and enjoys the house, so everyone needs to be part of maintaining it. Your future sons- and daughters-in-law will rise up and call you blessed for teaching your children shared servanthood.
Affirmation: My household serves the Lord.
Practical:
Call a family meeting and create a strategy for shared servanthood. This is something that my husband and I do. We started doing this when I went back to school. Because I did not have as much time to devote to household chores my husband began doing some of them and he continues to do so.