Does what I do really matter?
How can picking up Cheerios off the floor for the third time today really make a difference in eternity?
Being the mother to my four children is one of the best, hardest, and most rewarding things I have done in my life. I know this. But if I’m honest, it doesn’t always feel that way.
There is often a disconnect between what I know to be true and what I feel. I know that serving my family by cooking meals, washing laundry, folding clothes, and cleaning up messes matters. These are good and necessary things, especially since I don’t want my children to be malnourished nudists running around the neighborhood.
But when I am cleaning up yet another glass of spilled milk or scraping another half-eaten dinner plate into the trash, I often wonder, Does this actually matter?
But what if God has designed us to be lights in a dark world, not only by doing extraordinary things, but by doing ordinary things that point to an extraordinary God? What if laundry, cooking, cleaning, and serving our families can remind us of the gospel? What if these simple, repetitive tasks are not interruptions to meaningful work, but part of the meaningful work God has given us?
Gospel Work in Laundry
Laundry has to be my least favorite household chore. Not only is it time-consuming, but unless everyone in your house is walking around naked, you are never actually done with it. You can spend all day washing, drying, folding, and putting away clothes, and then bedtime comes. Everyone changes into pajamas, and suddenly there is more laundry in the hamper.
Someone once pointed out to me that if Adam and Eve had never eaten the fruit in the Garden, we wouldn’t have laundry. It was only after sin entered the world that they realized they were naked. So in a very real way, laundry is a direct result of the fall. Can I get an amen?
A few weeks ago, I took both of my girls clothes shopping. They picked out some much-needed warm clothes for winter and were so excited to wear them. One of them changed into her new shirt as soon as she could. But within the first few bites of dinner, a huge glob of ketchup dribbled down the front of her cream-colored shirt.
She immediately started scrubbing at it, trying to fix it herself. But as most moms know, frantic scrubbing does not usually make a stain better. It often makes it worse.
So I had her take the shirt off, and I brought it to the laundry room to start the stain-removal process. Thankfully, the ketchup came out, and I was able to give her back a clean shirt.
My daughter didn’t mean to stain her brand-new shirt. But when she did, her first instinct was to handle it herself.
Isn’t that what we often do with God?
We sin, and rather than immediately running to our Father, we try to clean ourselves up first. We try to hide our sin. We try to scrub away the evidence. We try to make ourselves presentable before coming to Him.
But God does not ask us to clean ourselves before we come. He invites us to come so that He can make us clean.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In something as simple as washing a stained shirt, we can remember what God has done for us through Christ. Jesus took our sin upon Himself. He bore the wrath we deserved. And through His blood, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Even laundry can preach the gospel to our hearts.
Gospel Work in Cooking
How many moms have spent time preparing a meal, only to set it in front of their children and be met with looks of disgust?
This happens often in my house. A battle usually follows over how much they need to eat before they can get down from the table. Then after the meal, I scrape a decent amount of food into the trash and think, *Why do I do this? Does it even matter?*
But when we provide food for our families, we are reflecting something true about God. God is a provider. He cares for both the physical and spiritual needs of His people.
In the Old Testament, God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. They thought their biggest problem was empty bellies, but instead it was hearts full of sin. God graciously gave them food for their bodies while also pointing forward to the greater provision that would come through Christ.
In the upper room, hours before Jesus would be betrayed, tortured, and crucified, He took bread and said, “This is my body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19).
God provides. He provided manna in the wilderness, and He provides for our deepest spiritual need through Jesus Christ.
So when we make another peanut butter and jelly sandwich, stir another pot of soup, or serve another dinner that may or may not be appreciated, we can remember this: every meal is a small picture of provision. Every meal can remind us and our children that we are dependent creatures, cared for by a generous God.
Gospel Work in the Mess
I don’t know about your house, but in mine, there are usually toys everywhere. And it only takes one well-placed Lego under my foot before I lose my cool and say, “Enough! We do not live in a barn. Please clean up this room!”
So we clean. And for a few glorious minutes, the room looks peaceful.
Then I walk away.
When I come back, it looks like we never cleaned it in the first place.
It is tempting to throw in the towel. What is the point of cleaning when it will just get messy again?
But I am so thankful God does not look at my life this way.
Ephesians 2:4–5 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us… made us alive together with Christ.”
God does not quit on His children. He does not throw in the towel. He continues to forgive, cleanse, teach, discipline, and sanctify us. Again and again, He works in us.
So even the toy room can remind us of the patience of God.
Housework for the Glory of God
Jesus often taught through ordinary images: seeds, bread, sheep, coins, weddings, vineyards, and fields. He used everyday things to help people understand eternal truth.
What if we started seeing housework this way?
As we wash dishes, we can remember that God cleanses our hearts from sin. As we change another dirty diaper, we can remember that even our best works, apart from Christ, are like filthy rags before Him. As we feed our children, we can remember that Christ is the bread of life. As we serve our families in quiet, unseen ways, we can remember the One who came not to be served, but to serve.
Jesus had every right to be served. He is the Son of God. And yet He took on flesh, entered this world as a baby, healed the sick, ate with sinners, washed dirty feet, and went to the cross for His people.
Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus humbled Himself by taking the form of a servant. And when we serve our families, we have an opportunity to reflect His humility and love.
So as you clean another sink full of dishes, fold another load of laundry, wipe another counter, or make another meal, remember this: your work is not meaningless.
It may feel ordinary. It may feel repetitive. It may even feel invisible.
But done unto the Lord, it can become worship.
Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Whatever you do.
Even the laundry.
Even the dishes.
Even the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Even the Cheerios on the floor.
All of it can point your heart, and your family’s hearts, back to the gospel.
