The Invisible Hope Chest
I was recently discussing with some dear friends the subject of stay-at-home-daughters and time. We talked about all the things we hope to learn and skills we want to have before entering marriage. Beyond the basic skills of cleaning the home, caring for children, sewing, cooking wholesome meals and decorating cakes, there is a vast world of other useful skills that stay-at-home-daughters have time to learn.
As young women not yet married, we have the responsibility to become as well-rounded and useful as we can be. Right now you probably don’t have the full care of running the home—this is an excellent opportunity to prepare yourself for the rest of your life. The more helpful skills we acquire, the more useful, the more of a blessing we will be to our future husbands and families.
Think of these skills as an Invisible Hope Chest.
Your husband could have any kind of job: mechanic, business owner, economics professor, etc.—are you studied in many areas to be able to help him in whatever his calling may be? Your family may someday have special diet issues—would you know enough about nutrition to accommodate those needs? Could you start a homestead or home business from scratch and live self-sufficiently? Do you plan to home-educate your children? Are you collecting excellent books for them to read? How do you plan to raise them to become God-fearing and useful men and women?
There is a host of other things to learn as well. Systematic theology (there’s enough there to keep you constantly in awe for the rest of your life!), finances and banking, how to keep everything in the home running smoothly together, history, English, a foreign language, herbal medicine, science, home birth, and even some carpentry skills will be found quite useful. And how are your communication skills?
How are you filling your invisible hope chest? Perhaps you haven’t started on it yet, but what would you like to fill it with?
Miss Rachel P. on 28 May, 2010, said,
Beautiful post Breezy! :D And it’s true, now while we are un-married is the perfect time to be working on our skills to be homemakers. :) I know and have heard many women speak about how they wish they had dedicated more time to learning homemaking skills before marrying.
I love that picture of an “invisible hopechest”. I never thought of it that way before. :)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic my dear! :D
Blessings and Hugs!
~Rachel~
Rhonda Devine on 28 May, 2010, said,
Absolutely well spoken and much needed today. I definitely encourage my girls to develop all kinds of skills so they can be the best helpmeet possible. Thanks for the words–like that term “invisible hopechest”.
Elizabeth on 28 May, 2010, said,
Such an encouraging post, Breezy! In a letter from a dear friend, she said that though she wasn’t adding a lot of things to her hope chest at the moment, she was also explaining how she is learning skills that will benefit her as a mother and wife.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Breezy! They are such a blessing.
Elizabeth
Kate on 28 May, 2010, said,
Wow Breezy - Mom and I were just discussing this last week! Without sounding like a hope chest basher….I came to realize that in the process of filling mine, I may be learning to place too much importance on objects and “stuff.” I realized that if I truly am willing to follow God anywhere - a lot of these things might just weigh me down… We really have been given a gift in our single years, as time to store up those “invisible” things that won’t ever wear out or get left behind. For me that is including work on character too. There is no time like the present to focus on being flexible, very patient, and learning to laugh with life gets rough. :)
Thank you for writing this!
Love,
Kate
Miss Antoinette on 28 May, 2010, said,
Yes, this is so true for today’s young ladies! I am learning many skills to one day help my future husband (Lord willing) and filling my “invisible Hope Chest”, that is a very creative way of putting it! :)
Ha, ha, I know what you mean about systematic theology, and no kidding we WILL be learning so many things till our dying day, but it is such a blessing! :)
Thanks for sharing such a very encouraging post!
Your sister in Christ,
Miss Antoinette
Hannah L. on 28 May, 2010, said,
Hearty thanks for this article, Breezy! I have often lamented the fact that I don’t have a real, ‘hope chest.’ But I like the picture of an invisible one so much better–it actually seems MORE ‘real’ than a physical chest, because unlike the wooden one, an invisible hope chest doesn’t have any limitations, and it will hold so much more than physical things!
You’ve brightened my day–thanks so much.
~Hannah
Sommer on 28 May, 2010, said,
What a great post Breezy! As an already married woman with children, I find this to be a great encourager to me as to what I should be encouraging my 3 daughters to think on and work towards as they wait on their husband-to-be. There are so many things I wish I would have put my mind to as a young woman waiting and that I wish my own mother would have encouraged me to work towards. It is one thing to have a material hope chest…but how very important to increase what is in the invisible hope chest! Lovely!
I hope it is okay, I would like to link to your post on my blog!
Lots of love,
Sommer
Breezy on 28 May, 2010, said,
@Sommer, feel free to link. :)
Hannah on 29 May, 2010, said,
Simply beautiful, Breezy. I’d like to fill my Invisible Hope Chest with what you’ve said…anything to empower and strengthen my family spiritually, physically, mentally and in life. Lovely post from a lovely young lady. :-)
God Bless!
–Hannah
Kristine McGuire on 29 May, 2010, said,
Hi! I found your blog through Sarah Mae. As the mother of a single young woman who still lives at home I love the idea of this “invisible hope chest”. Thank you for sharing this wonderful perspective.
God's Girl on 29 May, 2010, said,
Breezy- this is a great post. My mom knows you from blogging. SHe was SchoolinR’home and you sweetly sent us acorn caps before for the dolls I was making. Mom always kept reading your blog (and your sister’s) but she loves art and she thought you’d both be great examples for me and you have! I blog now and mom too but not at the same one. I hope to do a post soon about this as our Bible studies lately are a lot on preparing for the future God has for me. I will link to this and answer some of the great questions you put out there within my post. Thanks for being a good Godly role model for those of us out there that want to do the same. It can be hard in this world of wrong examples. It’s nice to see those that also want to live a life that gives God the glory!
Breezy on 29 May, 2010, said,
@God’s Girl: I saw one of my acorn caps the other day and thought of your family! And I’m glad you found my post encouraging. God bless you on your journey to godly womanhood!
Grace Marie on 30 May, 2010, said,
I just came upon your blog, and found this post absolutely a blessing as my mother is instructing me in homemaking. I am a stay-at-home daughter, and keep a cedar hope chest which was a gift from my mother. I read this, and then pondered over everything that can not be placed in a chest, but rather in my heart. This is way more important than what you bring along.. thank you for this!
Susannah on 31 May, 2010, said,
I love how you put it…the invisible hope chest :)!
Wonderful post!
~Susannah
Courtney(WomenLivingWell) on 1 June, 2010, said,
This is a fantastic post and so well put. For 3 years before I had my children, I was able to be a “stay-at-home” wife - some seemed baffled that I didn’t work and pursue more money. But my husband had chosen for our family quality over quantity.
I took the precious gift of time my husband gave me and honed my homemaking skills - from reading, to cake baking classes, to cleaning, babysitting and leading women’s Bible studies - I grew as a woman.
I learned so much during those years that I now am using as a homeschooling blogging mommy!
You are a very wise woman Breezy and I am blessed to be a contributor at Raising Homemakers with you! I can’t wait to see what God holds for this site!!!
Much Love,
Courtney
http://www.womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com
Ellen on 1 June, 2010, said,
This is a lovely thought.
I do wonder some days - what happens if the right husband doesn’t come along? How then would be the best way to serve the Lord? Since you wrote such an insightful post here - I did wonder, have you ever thought of what you would do if a worthy God-fearing husband never came? I trust in the Lord to provide, but I do wish I could think of a good plan to serve the Lord even without a husband.
Breezy on 1 June, 2010, said,
@Ellen,
Thank you so much for this excellent question. I have given this some thought myself, and would like to write a post about it someday. Until then, you may like to take a look at this post by my friends, Anna Sofia and Elizabeth: But What If…?
I hope you find many helpful ideas!
In Christ,
-Breezy
Clara on 1 June, 2010, said,
Wow, I love this idea!!! My daughter is only nearly 6 years old, but I think it will be great to help her start both a tangible hope chest, and also an invisible one - thank you for sharing! I sure hope I can raise my daughter to be a cheerful “keeper at home”!
God's Girl on 2 June, 2010, said,
I just made a post about this article on my blog, giving my list for my Invisible Hope chest and also announcing the start of Raising Homemakers. Here is the post:
http://myjournalforhisglory.blogspot.com/2010/06/home-making-and-hope-chests.html
My mom and I have followed you Breezy and your family online for years. You sent us acorn cas once so I could finish my little homemade dolls. Remember us. We blog on blogger now. Stop by. My mom is in my followers box too! :)
Tess on 2 June, 2010, said,
Just wanted to say, I love your site! There aren’t many sites available for young single women pursuing the heart of God. Thanks so much for the things you write!
Blessings,
Tess
Eden on 11 June, 2010, said,
What a lovely post, Breezy! I just found your blog this morning while surfing. I’m a stay-at-home daughter too and this post was such an encouragement to me! I’ve added your blog to favorites and will be visiting again soon. I hope you have a blessed day!
Eden on 11 June, 2010, said,
P.S. I love your blog design! Who did it?
Tracy on 6 July, 2010, said,
That was so lovely that I hope you don’t mind that I linked to it from my Facebook page. Just so very well written and thought-out!
Hannah Washburn on 8 July, 2010, said,
Hi there! One of my subsribers forwarded me a link to this post, suggesting that I should maybe print it in the magazine that I publish. Would that be fine with you if I do print it? You can visit my website (www.shiningstarsmagazine.com) to find out more info about the publication. It is a quarterly magazine, that runs entirely off of donations, with the goal of encouraging young women to be stay-at-home daughters until they are married and become keepers of their homes.
If you could email me to let me know either way, I’d greatly appreciate it!
Abundant Blessings!