Like everyone, I sometimes struggle with work, especially my unpaid work. In my vocational work, it is easy to see the progress made. Spreadsheets are filled, tasks are crossed off a list, projects are completed. There is also a clear reward for my work in a paycheck and, I am grateful to say, a sense of purpose in walking alongside those who are suffering.
But with what I referred to above as “unpaid work,” this is not quite the case. This work is categorized by the seemingly mundane and nearly never ending tasks of living. Grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, and any other daily or household chores can sometimes wear on me more than a project or counseling session.
In part, this is because my sons are five and thirteen months old. As they should be, they are playing and learning, but this also means that any task that is done lower than the kitchen counter almost immediately is undone. The endless list of things to do can feel, at times, like a treadmill. I know that I am in an incredibly privileged position to have a home, possessions, and a family to care for and I don’t want to downplay that, but there is also a responsibility to steward those things well.
What has given me encouragement in the mundane is the truth that when we bring order and beauty to our lives, we are imaging God. He is infinitely creative1 and brings beauty from ashes2. While I am not bringing creation to life by simply speaking, I am doing a smaller version of that in menial chores.
An unorganized, chaotic mountain of laundry becomes ordered as I fold and put away each item. As I water my plants or decorate seasonally I am cultivating beauty in my home. And, of course, I am stewarding my family and loving them well by providing them with a safe environment. A place where my children can look back fondly and remember not that it was spotless, but that they were comfortable and they were free to make mistakes and learn.
So as you stand over your kitchen sink scrubbing yet another dirty dish or mop your bathroom tile, remember that you are imaging God. You are actively partnering with him in his good work and bringing order and beauty to your life, home, and family. May he bless you in your work and give you perseverance to continue.
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Prevailing Purpose 
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