“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Col. 3:23, NLT)

About a year ago, I had tea with a dear, sweet stay-at-home mom. During the course of our visit, my friend began telling me how much she loves being a homemaker. After expounding on that for a bit, she went on to describe how excited she was that disinfectant wipes were on sale at the grocery store that week.

I like disinfectant wipes as much as the next person, but you know that you know that you KNOW that you are called to be a housewife when you can get passionate about them. I, unfortunately, couldn’t relate. In fact, I stared at my friend incredulously with my mouth gaping, and it was some time before I could gather my wits.

I thought about our conversation frequently in the following months. I thought about it when the dishes were piled up to the ceiling and I was out with friends instead of being elbow deep in a sink full of suds. I thought about it when the dust on the baseboards reached an inch in thickness and I was typing on my computer instead of wielding that thing with all the feathers sticking out of it. Yep, I thought about it all the time.

Lately, I’ve been convicted about how I approach my home. Oh to be more like my friend! The brutal truth is that sometimes I view being a stay-at-home mom like it’s a prison sentence. And yet, serving my family should be one of the greatest privileges ever!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Colossians 3:23, which says that we should do everything as though we are doing it for Jesus. Even something as boring and mundane as cleaning my house needs to be done with excellence. Plus, it’s only when we’re faithful with these little things that God will bring us into the BIG things He has in store for our lives.

So, believe it or not, I’ve started to work my way through a checklist of long overdue chores. And it’s actually more fun than I thought. Of course, I get a little help at times too (can you see how wet her socks are?) …

PS If you are like me and you need your housework broken up into bite-sized lists with neat little check boxes beside each item to make you feel like you are accomplishing something, I highly recommend the Motivated Moms planner. I actually like it so much that I added a link to it in my sidebar (on the right side of the page). You can download and print the planner or even get it as an app! Best. Thing. Ever. Period.