Many jobs these days require not just multitasking but multi-roles that employers have workers do to save on hiring more employees. Sometimes these roles aren’t even explained, just given, and this leaves workers frustrated and stressed. But God is a different kind of employer. When He gives us a job, we may have multi-roles, but He always gives us direction to fulfill our roles. Such is the case with the job of being a homemaker, more illustratively known as a gatekeeper.
As a gatekeeper, a woman has to be like the Old Testament temple gatekeepers who had a panoramic view of the temple. They were posted at all four corners of the temple to make sure that God’s house was protected from predators and provided for by those selected to serve the temple. A woman with a panoramic view sees all sides of her and her family’s life so they can be on guard from the enemy’s attack and use this knowledge to benefit God’s kingdom.
Women must have hindsight, access the present and anticipate what is needed for the future. This is having a panoramic view of all sides of life. Isaiah 58:12 talks about the result of someone who looks at the ruins of the present, sees how the past has impacted the present, and because she decided to fast, she helps to positively impact the future: “And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
When a woman decides to take her job of gatekeeping seriously, she can repair brokenness, build up what was abandoned, and provide stable homes for many generations to come. She will be known by her works, being a wonderful example for many generations, who, too, will know how to be gatekeepers and help strengthen the kingdom of God.
Copyright 2009 by Rhonda J. Smith
