HOW BEST TO HANDLE MAIDS IN A CHRISTIAN HOME.
An online lecture delivered at the monthly lecture of Centre for Blissful Home Initiative on 16th July, 2022 by Deaconess Motunrayo Adegbilero.
WHO IS A MAID?
Longman’s Dictionary defines the word simply as a female servant. Within the Nigerian context however, even males serve as servants in the house. His/Her duties usually involve cleaning (floor, plates, cloths, cars, etc.), cooking, childminding, shopping, etc. Since females dominate the maid world, this presentation will stick to the feminine pronoun (She) for ease of discussion.
In Bible days, especially in the Old Testament, maids were, in addition, used as surrogate mothers mostly when the mistress seemed barren e.g., Sarah’s maid, Hagar: Genesis 16: 2-4, 15; Rachael’s maid, Bilhah: Genesis 30:3-6.
TYPES OF MAIDS.
1.Paid maid: This is a hired servant who usually is not a relation of the family. She is working for money. She collects wages negotiated with the family or an agent. She may live with the family or come daily to carry out house chores within a stipulated time from morning till probably evening.
2 . A young relation who lives with the family to serve them in exchange for some kind of training which may be school or apprenticeship sponsoring.
SOME BAD TREATMENTS OF MAIDS:
Many families treat their maids like slaves, making them work round the clock usually on an empty stomach. She is not allowed to participate in family activities like watching television, mealtimes, family outings etc.
Some employers deny their maid of the agreed wage and either pay less or pay very late. Some live-in maids are made to sleep late and wake up early while the children of the house are pampered and spoilt. Some maids who don’t live with the family but report daily for work are not allowed to close at the agreed time.
A woman was recently reported in the news as caging her maid like an animal for months before the maid was rescued by neighbors!
Another woman used hot iron on the maid’s body as a form of punishment for wrong doing!
Christians are implored not to tow this wicked line.
HOW CHRISTIAN HOMES SHOULD TREAT MAIDS
1 . Remember the maid is a human being like you (for whom Christ died) only less privileged. Treat her with kindness as enjoined in Ephesians 4:32. When she makes a mistake, remember that to err is human. Our children make mistakes. If she must be punished, do it moderately like she is your biological child.
2 . Allow her time to rest; there is nothing wrong in allowing the children to share in some of the maid’s duties. Remember, the maid will not be there forever. The story is told of a wealthy man’s daughter who lost her fiance to the house maid whom the handsome man found more industrious! He brushed the maid up, sent her to school and married her while the rich man’s spoilt daughter was left to lick her wound.
3 . Let the maid share meal times with the family and eat the same food as the rest of the family. She is not a dog to be served leftovers in a corner of the house! Christianity must positively affect the way we treat fellow human beings. Your lifestyle may win the maid and her family to Christ.
4 . Let the maid be part of the family roster for daily devotion. She is a joint heir of the salvation brought by Christ. Let her sit with the family, not crouching in one corner like a condemned criminal. She too needs to be spiritually fed. If you daily feed her with the word of God, the fear of God will not allow her work against the family. But if she is maltreated and spirituality malnourished, she may end up ensnaring the entire family (poisoning, kidnapping, robbery etc.). The maid you fail to feed with the word of God will be fed by the devil!
5 . Give the maid a good place to sleep. If the children of the family sleep on a bed, the maid should not be made to sleep on a mat! In the early years of our marriage, we allowed our Gwari maid to sleep on the only bed available in the children’s room while our children slept on the mat.
By the way, Gwari is a tribe in Kaduna State that carry loads on their shoulders and hardly wear clothes! This girl became so much of our family that people thought she was my younger sister!
6 . Pay her wages as at when due without reducing a Kobo. God promises to judge those who “oppress the hireling in his wages”, Malachi 3:5c
7 . Notice when she is not looking happy and attend to her needs. She may be sick and need medical attention. Even the King noticed his servant’s sad countenance! Nehemiah 2:2
8 . The maid is not to be sexually or in any way abused. She has a right to be protected from all manners of molestation. The mistress should not give room for temptation; do not let the maid get too close to your husband by asking her to make the master’s bed, serve his meal, wash his undies, etc. There is a limit to the chores a maid should do for the family! She has only come to help, not take over the home!
9 . If the maid is a relation you have promised to train, do not renege on the promise. Do not delay putting him or her in school or a trade. Do not keep him/her languishing at home while your own children go to school. One of our own children trained a maid to university level and is now a graduate working in a reportable company.
10 . Today’s reality calls for caution, hence do the following when you employ a maid: have her passport photo; let her do HIV and COVID-19 test and know her genotype. Know her guarantor’s contact address and not just phone numbers. If possible, contact her previous employers for a testimony on her character. We shall not live with a potential enemy in Jesus’ name.
CONCLUSION
Nobody knows tomorrow: today’s maid may become a First Lady or even occupy a bigger position tomorrow. Treat your maid as your potential future helper. Treat her in such a way that you will not be ashamed to face her in the future.
Remember, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God to account for everything we do here on earth. How we treat the maid and everyone that crosses our path is important.
Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
If you have been maltreating your maid, repent and ask for grace to make amends.
Shalom!