Each Sunday during this 31 Days series, I’ll be touching on a different aspect of womanhood from the Five Aspects of Woman by Barbara Mouser. Last week, we talked about being a lifegiver. This week, you are the…

Mistress of Your Domain!

{Doesn’t that sound dramatic and important?!}

The “Mistress of Her Domain” aspect is based on the commands God gave us in Genesis 1:28…

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

It is our job, not only as women, but as human beings, to rule, subdue and produce here on earth. That was God’s design from the very beginning.

And it seems easy to understand in the context of the Garden of Eden and such – Adam and Eve were supposed to have babies, take care of the earth around them, and rule over the animals.

That just doesn’t seem to describe the days of most women in current times, does it?

How do we take on this aspect in our lives today?

The first thing to understand is that we have been put in charge of many things in our lives and those things have become our “domain.” This domain is where we are to “rule, subdue, and produce.” In other words, we can’t let the things in our domain take control of our lives.

Ok, maybe I should fill you in on what Mouser lists as part of your domain – this helped me understand everything else much better.

Your domain includes your…

• thoughts
• attitudes
• words
• body
• time
• talents
• relationships
• money
• possessions
• equipment
• education
• opportunities

Overwhelmed?

I was as I looked at this list, but I also realized something VERY important as I considered my domain.

These are all areas that can control ME if I don’t rule over THEM first.

*My thought life could become a place of unnecessary worry and fear if I don’t commit to praying about it and reigning in those dangerous thoughts.

*Money can be a master, time can be wasted and lost, the gaining of possessions can become an obsession.

*And words – oh the power of words, especially from women. I’ve seen the effects of an uncontrolled tongue – I have BEEN that uncontrolled tongue before. It is not pretty, friends.

I don’t have any magic tips in this post about how to rule, subdue, and produce in your domain, especially because we each struggle in different areas of our domains AND we each have different personalities. I could write for days and days and still not cover all the advice and ideas each of you would like.

But I do want to encourage you, especially if you are of the more laid-back nature as I am. The “mistress of your domain” title may sound like the exact opposite title you would ever give yourself.

All mature, developed women will be productive – bringing their domains and resources to fruitfulness – whether their personalities are highly organized and driving or whether they are easy-going and laid back. ~Barbara Mouser

God gave you your unique personality and He has equipped you within that unique personality to rule, subdue, and produce in your given domain. This is where comparison becomes dangerous – don’t tell yourself that you CAN’T control this or that because you aren’t able to make it look like so-and-so.

Our personalities are unique, our domains are unique, and the way we each manage our domains is unique. The important thing is that you do what YOU can!

I have a little challenge for you this week to help this seem a little less overwhelming. Actually, it is a challenge from Barbara Mouser herself and it is essential to bringing your domain under YOUR control.

Pick an area of your domain that could use some attention – an area that could be more fruitful if you managed it a little better. Think about specific ways to be more effective in this area. Think of how things could change in your life if that area was productive and less controlling.

I’ve already chosen mine – TIME. And, interestingly enough, when I did this study over eight years ago, time was the exact area I needed to manage more effectively then as well.

I am working on my focus, sticking to a schedule, getting up early, keeping my priorities in line {and my time reflecting those priorities} and eliminating “wasted” time in my day.

What will you do this week to improve yourself as mistress of your domain?