The Enterprising Family: “Using Your Gifts”

This is where I think being a keeper at home combined with the vision of the enterprising family gets exciting.  To the outside, who can’t fathom “what women do all day at home”, there is a whole realm of life they just don’t know about.  To those who have discovered it, it’s a luxury no career could woo them from.

Using your gifts to promote the industry of the family is a privilege that the freedom of being home affords.  I think every woman has a gift–most have several, and whatever they are, there is an abundance of opportunity awaiting them.  And once again…it’s more than just “my gifts right now”.  The motions of our daily lives are shaping the generation under our feet. 

“Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.”    Proverbs 31:31

Gifts can be used to minister and bless others, teach, save money, make money, grow and learn, contribute to society, leave a legacy–and very often, all those things combined!

I am so grateful for the opportunities the Lord has given me since I came home from teaching.  I would have never had the time or energy to invest in my gifts and loves with the rigorous schedule I was imprisoned by before.

This list could be endless, but I’ll name a few ways, off the top of my head, that I see friends using their gifts to promote the enterprise of the family….

• Giving lessons.  Whatever it is you know how to do, there is someone else who would love to learn!

Our neighbors I posted about with the outrageous utilities savings (with 13 children) have a daughter who teaches several children in our community piano lessons.  She (along with many of her siblings) are incredibly talented musicians.  And now she does what she loves (and does it very well!), earns an income, and blesses us moms because she comes to our house for a very affordable price!

Our piano recital was Friday–such a blessing–and do you know her students represent only 4 families and there were 35 children among us!  Afterwards we went back to their house for a cookout and a swim in the creek.  Socialization at its best 😉

My friend Kathy also gives “Domestic Day Classes” which is not only a way to use her gifts to benefit her family, but I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to have  someone willing to teach in this age where so many of us didn’t get the practical skills in our upbringing that maybe our grandmothers received.

She has also used her talents to create tools for those who want to learn practical skills from home–she has a Cake Decorating DVD, a Quilt Class, a Crocheting DVD and is working on another!  She sells these on-line and everyone benefits!  (I highly recommend them 😉

• Cake Decorating.  Many women have made nice incomes this way, and it is certainly a great bartering tool as well as money-saving.
• Interior Design.
• Writing.
• Home business selling what you love to make.
• Floral arranging.
• Working in your husband’s business.  Many home businesses are able to flourish only because a husband has a wife who is able and willing to help him with the logistics.
• Artist.
• Nursing Skills.  Vickie West, who has been featured on some Franklin Springs films, is one of the most knowledgeable women in the area of medicine and home treatment we have ever seen.  People come to her from all over her community for advice and treatment.  They came and hung out in our neighborhood for a while and she was just a walking encyclopedia (and she and her girls are very  musically talented!).  BTW, if you don’t like blue grass–just skip it 😉  It’s a “down home” kind of song.

• Encouragement.  Don’t underestimate this gift–if you have it, USE IT!  Cards, phone calls, a visit–so many are in need.

There are so many more!  Keep in mind that while using your gifts always presents the possibility of earning income, it’s not the main thing.  Your gifts and abilities should be viewed first in light of how they minister to your family and community.

Cooking, creating and beautifying your home are not small things–they represent a slice of the creativity and beauty of Christ and we literally minister to our families and those who come into our homes by the simplest of these acts.

Here’s a brief example of a girl, Eliza Pickney, (who lived in Colonial times)whose gifts and vision had a huge impact on her state’s economic industry…

Inspired by her readings of Virgil, Eliza was convinced that the climate in South Carolina was akin to the climate in Italy. If indigo could be grown in Italy, it could also grow in South Carolina. Therefore, she experimented with different indigo seeds year after year. Year after year the winter frosts destroyed her crops.

Finally, a crop of indigo succeeded. Generously, Eliza distributed the seeds from the harvest to her neighbors. The tougher strain endured the cold and a new colonial industry was born.

Indigo (as a dye) proved more  beneficial to Carolina than the mines of Mexico or Peru were to Spain…. The source of this great wealth … was a result of an experiment by a mere girl.

What are your gifts?  How can they be used to promote your family’s enterprising ministry?