Housework: Friend or Foe? - 31 Days

I don't know:  it's Monday and our writing prompt is WORK.  Sounds like a tough combination to me.  But I committed to this 31 Days / Five Minutes challenge, so I'm going for it.

START

If you read this on Monday, I will probably be in the midst of doing laundry.  It's not my least favorite of the household chores, but it does get tedious.  I mean, didn't I just wash this shirt last week?

Would I rather be chopping vegetables at the community kitchen than vacuuming?

Yes.

Would I rather be packing Thanksgiving dinners for the food pantry to distribute than folding laundry?

Yes.

After all, these are ministries, which are more important than mundane housework, right?

But wait!

My first ministry is to my family, isn't it?  Am I not here to help them?  Not to be the maid, but to bless them.  To do the laundry, to clean the bathrooms, to get dinner on the table.  Each of these is blessing someone, but someone in my family rather than someone else.

I really like the idea I got from Lisa at Lisa Notes.  When she makes her to-do list, she writes who each task will bless.  If I bake cookies, I'm blessing both my husband and my son.  If I wash my son's sheets, I'm blessing him.  That's the real purpose of these tasks, isn't it?

It's the difference between being a housewife and being a homemaker.  And I think it's all worthwhile in God's eyes.

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

STOP

If you'd like to catch up on my 31 Days posts, in order, here's a list.  Some follow one story, so I've included the topic so you can read them in the right sequence.

September 29:  Intro
October 1:  Which Way Are You Moving?
October 2:  Views (breast cancer)
October 3:  Shiny New
October 4:  Learning (breast cancer)
October 5:  Stuck
October 6:  We Think We Know (breast cancer)
October 7:  Just GO
October 8:  Say It (public speaking)
October 9:  When It's Hard to Join (public speaking)
October 10:  Why Do I Care?
October 11:  One-Way Street
October 12:  Rest For My Soul

photo credit: knitting iris via photopin cc