Jonathan Edwards / Max Jukes Story (Encouragement for Housewives / Stay-at-Home Mothers)
In our present day and age, there is a great temptation for women to feel like they are wasting their lives away by “just” being a housewife and a stay-at-home mom. If that is the case with you or someone you know, then I highly encourage you to read the following few paragraphs.
In Al Sanders book, “Crisis in Morality”, he compares the descendants of an atheist called Max Jukes to the offspring of a well known preacher that lived during Mr. Juke’s lifetime called Jonathan Edwards. Here is what he wrote:
“Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes . . . But praise the Lord, it works both ways! There is a record of a great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 296 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and minsters to foreign countries.”
Without a doubt, this is a great story, however, it is also important to realize that Jonathan Edwards was not alone in his endeavors to raise godly children. Read this excerpt that has been taken from a short biographical sketch of Sarah Edwards, the wife of Jonathan Edwards (source: The Christian History Institute).
“Their [Jonathan and Sarah Edwards] marriage, which lasted over thirty years, was a happy one. Much of that was owing to Sarah, who managed the home–and her scholarly husband–efficiently. Sarah worked hard to rear godly children, dealing immediately with sin when it showed itself. She bore eleven, ten of whom lived to adulthood . . . The many people who visited the home were impressed by the peace which flourished in the home. There was none of the quarreling or coldness so common in other homes. Husband and wife supported and admired each other. They prayed daily together. Evangelist George Whitefield, after spending a few days in the calm, happy Edwards home, was so impressed that he determined to get married himself. “A sweeter couple I have not yet seen,” he enthused.”
It is very obvious that Sarah Edwards is also to be given credit for the tremendous success of the Edward’s home, and, after looking at the statistics which are given above, I would like to ask a very pertinent question. Was Sarah Edwards wasting her life away by making it her life’s work to manage her home?
Are you a housewife that sometimes struggles with the thought of your degree collecting dust in the attic? Does it grieve you that your technical or administrative skills are mostly used to keep bath-time running smoothly? Does it sometimes bother you that your ingenuity seems like it is only being used to come up with new ways to potty train your children? Are you concerned that you may have wasted thousands of dollars on a good quality education? If this is the case, then I highly recommend that you consider the fact that Sarah Edwards, by managing and guiding her home in an efficient and Biblical manner, was not only fulfilling God’s plan for her life (Titus 2:5, I Timothy 5:14), but she was also BEING A GOOD CITIZEN of her respective country and of the Kingdom of God. I say this because no one can argue the fact that America and the church in America were both made stronger because of the work that Sarah Edwards accomplished in her own home.
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