The Holy Work of Home
I didn't understand it until I was 3.5 years into this whole “homemaking” business. An endeavor which, in my pre-child years, I swore I would never undertake.
As seasons have changed, both literal and figurative, I’ve felt differently about this position that I and millions of other women around the world occupy. Sometimes I feel I understand it completely and am more than happy to occupy that space and all of its accompanying tasks. Other times I am baffled by questions of whether or not I’m doing this correctly (because I can’t be doing this correctly). Am I even built for this? Or, every now and again, the thought of, “is this all there is?” crosses my mind.
But I fall into these…cycles. Or, spirals as it is perhaps more aptly described. Weeks, it seems, on end where, to my recollection, I’ve not sat down or stopped moving all day and then, when dinner is done and bath time is about to commence I look around at the landscape of my home and it seems unchanged. I thought I plowed the terrain of toys and excavated dirty dishes and emerged from up under 22 mountains of laundry, swept twice, vacuumed once for every room of the house and, yet, even to my eye my home looks like I could have just sat on the couch all day and simply ate bon-bons because it remains a vast plain of nonsense it began as. Also, what is a bon-bon? A candy? A pastry? I digress….
I do to undo and do again. I clean the kitchen to cook and make it dirty. I wash clothes so they can be worn and washed again. I clean the bathroom so it can be used for waste. I sweep the floors to find dirt of daily life on them hours later. And again and again and again.
This is the holy work of home.
Where is the holy part, you may ask. Did you scan the previous paragraphs just in case you missed it? You did not, I assure you.
If holiness is to be set-apart and reserved for the work of the Lord, then our work at home is to set apart space for our family to function in it’s best way - the way the Lord created your particular family to peacefully abide in a way honoring Him. And, sometimes this means simply clearing space so that life can happen all over again without missing a beat. Making one mess disappear so that another can begin in the name of communion and love and comfort and fun.
The holiest of work is that which goes unnoticed for the sake of the good God’s children. We are the keepers of the cycle of everyday life - no one part has an end, but the cycle must continue so that familial activity may not relent. You serve to strengthen other people's ability to serve - either at present or in the future.
I’m reminded of the rant of King Solomon - more popularly known as the book of Ecclesiastes. He is lamenting about this, that and the other - alternately dropping bars, gems, and questions that would make one ask, “are you ok?”
In any event, he tells the following story in chapter 9:
13 I also saw a person doing a wise thing in this life, and it seemed very important to me. 14 There was a small town with a few people in it. A great king fought against that town and put his armies all around it. 15 But there was a wise man in that town. He was poor, but he used his wisdom to save his town. After everything was finished, the people forgot about the poor man. 16 But I still say that wisdom is better than strength. They forgot about the poor man’s wisdom, and the people stopped listening to what he said. But I still believe that wisdom is better.
17 Words spoken by the wise are heard more clearly
than those shouted by a leader among fools.
And, honestly, I felt that.
I have a small city - my home. And there are, indeed, a few people in it - my husband and child (perhaps for you there are a few more constituents), and “kings” come against my city all of the time - in the form of sickness or busy schedules or the mysterious green marker that has shown up on my white curtains or the 14th snack and 33rd tantrum of the day or other people’s opinions of the “right” way to do things - and these “kings” threaten the very existence of my sanity and resolve.
And, in those times, I feel quite poor; poor of patience, energy, solutions, rest, space, humility, resources…
Many times, particularly after we’ve survived the day and I’ve managed to cook dinner in my last feat of mom-ing and my toddler gets to the table mere moments after professing his unbearable hunger, looks at the plate in front of him and utters with conviction, “I don’t like that.” And my husband, after an unexpected late meeting, tells me upon his arrival, “oh, I ate something.” - I feel like my people have forgotten about the poor man as I toiled all day to save this city.
The “end” of the day comes and I look around on the undoing of my doing and feel…what even is the word? Defeated, perhaps?
And yet, because I’m committed to this holy task of home put before me by the most powerful King, I save my city through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me. Because without Him, frankly, ain’t no way…
What I remember about King Soloman’s view of that “poor man” is that he was rich in wisdom and because of that, the whole city was blessed, victorious, safe.
You may identify with this poor man as well, and that’s ok, but I want to remind you of a few beautiful things:
You have the grace for your home, even when it doesn’t feel like it. You may feel poor of what you need, but God is rich in mercy and strength and He is the King that matters (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Even though it may not be verbalized as much as you’d like, your family will rise up and call you blessed.
Your work is important because it is honorable to the Lord when you honor the work he has set before you. And when you do this holy work at your poorest, it is a beautiful act of worship. Proverbs 3:3-4
You are amazing, your home is blessed by you, and your skin looks great. Drop that routine girlie.
You are never alone. God sees you. He cares for you. He is for you. You are His favorite.
At the end of the day, when the day’s gotta end (IYKYK) though you may not feel it, your wise words and caring actions done in the name of honoring God will speak louder than any “king” that dares rise up against your home or family.
So, if no one has said it today, thank you for making your city safe. Good for you and Glory to God.
