[Forrest]

Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

My wife and I, under God’s leading, chose to home educate our children. (I’m glad we did.) By God’s grace all of our children love the Lord and serve Him. They have honored us in spite of our parental shortcomings. One of the big issues in some home education groups is that the “female” should be a “keeper at home” which has various applications among our friends.

Some believe it means no work, no school, or no activity outside the home. Individuals who follow this belief consider a young “unmarried” or “married” woman who works, attends college, or participates in ministry or certain activities outside the home is rebellious and not “submitting” to their God given authority. Keeper at home means keeper at home.

On the other hand, some of our friends allow their daughters to work, attend college, and participate in ministry or certain activities outside the home. (There is of course, counsel and instruction regarding safety issues and the importance of using discretion.) To them, “keepers at home” does not mean staying at home 24/7, sewing, doing craft work, and baking a loaf of bread every other day.

Personally, I'm grateful that my wife has always been able to stay at home, be the primary teacher of our children, and has loved and honored me now for 26 years. I fully realize that this is a very personal choice for each family and we have a Christian obligation to avoid being someone’s Holy Spirit. I am a big advocate of letting God direct people by His Spirit through the written word. And I’ve learned through the years to stop being so judgmental of those who don’t do things the way I do them. By God's goodness, we also learned the importance of letting our children become adults without the constant micro management of what they could and could not do.

I would appreciate your participation on this thread regarding your understanding of the Biblical teaching “keepers at home” and the things you’ve learned raising daughters. I realize this thread, like any, could become carnal, divisive, or mean spirited. Please avoid that. People are different and unless it’s a key doctrinal issue, we should allow each other to have a varying opinion without it turning into a fight.

I would like to expand my understanding of the words “keepers at home” (verse 5) by getting your feedback.