I PULLED OUT THE BROOM and started to sweep our wooden floors. I worked erratically, annoyed at the task, pushing the broom this way and that and banging it into the furniture. It was Friday. The house was a mess, I had a long to-do list, three small children ran around my feet, and I felt exhausted. I gathered the sweepings into the dustpan as quickly as I could and dumped them with a deep sigh.
As I dragged the broom to the next room, a little voice spoke up. “Mommy, why don’t you like cleaning our house? It’s so nice when everything looks pretty for Sabbath.” My 6-year-old daughter looked up at me with questioning eyes.
I tried to smile as I swept the hallway, but Bethany’s question wandered through my thoughts. Why am I so grumpy about cleaning? What if I was more grateful and content about housework instead of seeing it as a boring burden? Isn’t that a bit ridiculous though? I mean, how can cleaning ever be a joy?
I wondered how my life would change if I cleaned with contentment and gratitude. I remembered Paul’s words: “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Could I even be thankful doing the housework? Paul also told the Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23, NIV). Now, there’s an interesting thought . . . How do I clean the house as if I am cleaning for the Lord?
INTENTIONAL CHOICE
That evening my family and I walked around the house. In every room we thanked God for all the things we hadn’t thanked Him for before—kitchen utensils, rugs, and garbage bins. And then we blessed each room as a place where kindness and joy could flourish. If there was something I wasn’t thankful for, I decided to give it away. I started to declutter what we didn’t need and to cherish what filled me with joy.
I made an intentional choice to have a positive attitude about cleaning. It was easy to feel annoyed by the workload. But that wasn’t helpful. Jesus said that everything I was doing for my family, to make the home lovely for them, I was doing for Him. As I cleaned, I prayed, “Jesus, I am so glad I can do this for You, and for my family.”
I couldn’t pour perfume on Jesus’ feet. I’m not a pastor or missionary. But when I am tidying up, sorting the trash, and cleaning the bathrooms, I am still doing it for Him. And that, in a strange way, gives me deep joy. Even when I clean places no one will ever see, Jesus knows I am doing it for Him.
My attitude toward laundry, ironing, cooking, and shopping changed. Each of these tasks became an act of joyful kindness when I said in my heart, “I am doing this because I love Jesus and my family.”
Now I think of housework as art. Yes, art. I love to make beautiful things, and I realized that cleaning and tidying is also creative, because it makes our home a more beautiful place. Focusing on the artistic aspect of cleaning helps me stay positive and enjoy the difference my work makes to the way our house looks. Cleaning helps me stay fit by walking, stretching, and carrying. Sometimes I listen to praise music and sing while I work.
PRAYER CLEANING
As I clean each room, I focus on a different aspect of my prayer life. In one room I focus on praising God. The bathroom is good for confessing because I can imagine that all my sins are washed away forever! I thank God for the clothes we have as I wash and mend and iron. I thank God for providing good food for us as I cook dinner or go to the grocery store. I pray for a specific person during each of my different cleaning tasks. When I visit my grandchildren, my special job is to match dozens of pairs of
clean socks, so we turn it into a matching game and make it fun for everyone to get involved!
This “gratitude attitude” toward chores didn’t happen overnight. I recognized that sometimes my negative attitudes came from my own unrealistic expectations about what my home should look like, or how much I should get done in a day. I learned to accept “good enough” cleaning so I can find balance in my life. I still get grumpy about the housework from time to time, particularly if I feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, my husband knows that if I start to get irritable, the best thing he can do is offer to help me and appreciate what I am doing.
There have been some unexpected results from my experiment with contented cleaning. I now look forward to housework! I see it as a peaceful and soothing break from the intensity of the “thought work” and screen time involved in my ministry. Our children have grown up with a more positive attitude toward chores, because when I showed that I enjoyed them, they were more willing to help too.
It’s good for my mental health because now I enjoy doing the chores. I no longer see myself as an overwhelmed servant but as a “domestic artist.” Working with creativity and love gives me a sense of purpose. I have an increased sense of gratitude for the many things God has provided for us—the things that need cleaning and the things that help me to clean.
God is with us all the time as we work, clean, cook, repair, do yardwork, and care for our families. He cares for us no matter how mundane our work may seem. He longs for us to experience joy rather than sadness and frustration, because our contentment and gratitude blesses us as well as those around us. Jesus invites us to come to Him whenever we feel burdened and overloaded so He can give us rest.
So try your own contented cleaning experiment. And may you find grateful blessings in whatever you do for Him, right in your home, because He sees everything. He knows that you are doing it all for Him, and He will treasure these apparently “insignificant” actions of love forever.
