For the past few months, I have been in what I call my “homemaker” era – wanting to constantly clean out closets & drawers, trying new recipes, being intentional with family time, making sure all people and all of the things are taken care of, trying to keep up on laundry, etc. The other day, while aimlessly scrolling on Instagram, I saw a quote that said, “Homemaking without God becomes productivity. Homemaking with God becomes worship,” and it hit me like a brick wall. I asked myself…. was I doing all this stuff around the house to provide peace in my home, and to serve my family, or was I striving to earn a badge of busyness, or trying to achieve perfection? I think we all know the answer to this one.
Homemaking without God leads us to be motivated by productivity, perfection, and ultimately control over every aspect of our home. Have you ever cleaned the entire house just to get frustrated that 2 hours later, everyone returns home from work and school to simply live there? You think, “The AUDACITY these people have to use more dishes, have more dirty laundry, use the bathroom, and track dirt in from the back yard. (insert eye roll)” All of these frustrated feelings are rooted in perfectionism and people pleasing. When we look at it through this lens, we are measuring our worth and success by how tidy our house is or how many homemade meals we made this week. This is simply exhausting.
But what if we shifted our mindset to include God in our homemaking? This brings a sense of presence, purpose, and peace to our lives and our home. We become motivated to serve our family, feeling thankful that our kids have clean clothes, or grateful that we can cook a hot meal to enjoy with those around our table. This not only brings HIS presence and peace into the seemingly mundane tasks, but this mindset also helps us recognize part of our purpose through Christ, and that is to help serve others, which includes our families.
Instead of our home becoming a place of perfection, it turns into a place of refuge and relaxation. Instead of feeling stressed, we start to feel blessed. We shift from “I have a ton of laundry to do before I can even think about what to cook for dinner” to folding laundry with gratitude, cooking with love, and cleaning as an act of service to those under the same roof.
Now I know what you’re thinking – this is way easier said than done. You’re not alone in that feeling. It is HARD to shift your mindset when it comes to homemaking, but I want to offer a practical way to help you make those first steps:
Chore Prayers. Invite God into the small, everyday tasks. Pray and ask for God to be with you, to guide you, or to open your eyes to see Him in the everyday.
Some examples:
“Lord, thank you for this food which provides nourishment to my family. Please help me prepare today’s meals with joy and thanksgiving.”
“Lord, thank you for this home. As I go about the day preparing a space of relaxation and refuge for my family, please fill our home with your peace.”
“Lord, thank you for my family. Use my hands to serve them well today.”
Whereas I wish I could say there was some magical cleaning schedule or meal calendar that if we followed it, life would be easier… I don’t think there is. I've come to realize that it's not about what we do in our day-to-day, but rather WHY we do it and how. With God, homemaking can become worship.