Wise and Kind Keepers (Part 5 – Titus 2:3-5)
December 27, 2025
St. Paul wrote a letter to Titus that outlines, among other things, the role of an older woman in the church and in her community. In previous posts this month (links below), I observed that with my elderly mother’s passing, I can no longer pretend or deny that I am that “older” woman.
3 Also, teach the older women to live the way those who serve the Lord should live. They should not go around saying bad things about others or be in the habit of drinking too much. They should teach what is good. 4 By doing this they will teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. 5 They will teach them to be wise and pure, to take care of their homes, to be kind, and to be willing to serve their husbands. Then no one will be able to criticize the teaching God gave us. (Titus 2:3-5 ERV)
Some translations use the term self-controlled or discreet in place of the word wise. Another way of saying this verse might be to mind your own business! Older women are to be ready to teach younger women to spend their time caring for their own home and family, to be discreet and kind to everyone. This should keep you busy enough to stay out of other people’s business. Paul writes something similar about women serving in the church in 1 Timothy 3:11.
[The] women likewise must be worthy of respect and serious, not gossipers, but temperate and self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things. (AMPC)
While the idea of prioritizing the management of a home and caring for family may seem old-fashioned to some, no one will argue that what happens inside the home impacts what happens in the community at large. Women are by far the most influential force for teaching and maintaining a family unit and household. A strong godly family and good marriage do not happen because we wish for them or even pray for them.
As a young woman, I was very interested in equally sharing the household tasks with my husband. I thought that because we both worked 8-to-5 jobs outside the home, this was right and fair. He really worked hard to cover childcare and household tasks; I have to give him that. But like many men, he was never taught to manage a household. My mother taught my brothers enough to ensure they wouldn’t starve when they went off to college. They had to learn to live independently by doing it. My brothers’ apartments were a place where they slept, ate, and stored their stuff. Those apartments did not start to look and feel like a “home” until their wives entered the picture.
I think teaching young women (and young men) to be wise and kind and to take good care of their families and homes are not out-of-date skills. Adulting is not easy. The younger generation goes to YouTube to learn how to bake cookies, organize a closet, or paint a room, but are there YouTube videos that teach you how to manage a household? The writers of the Bible assigned that teaching task to older women. I think that is still the best place for young people to learn to be wise and pure, to take care of their homes, and to be kind.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You created the family unit and according to Genesis 1, everything You created was very good. Lead me to a greater understanding of how important family and home are. Give me the wisdom to recognize a teaching moment and use it well to encourage organized and godly homes, as well as wise kind behavior, in the young people around me. I want to approach this task with humility and a sense of humor. Teach me as I teach others. Amen.