Up to My Knees in Laundry ...

I woke up this morning about 20 minutes before my son, in hopes to seek the Lord and prepare myself for the day. In doing this, I picked up Womanly Dominion and read a few pages to 'put on' the right perspective for the day. As I was reading, I realized how out of control the laundry had gotten in the last few days. The laundry basket is busting at the seems, the clothes that are in the dryer have been there since Monday and the dishes await me in the left-hand side of the sink (we do not have a dishwasher). It seemed like all of this 'work' just starred me down as I was standing in the kitchen drinking my coffee and trying to get a few pages read before my son woke up. To my benefit, these are the words that I read as I stood there though:

For a woman who rejects the mind of the world and puts on the mind of Christ, it is counted a great honor to follow in the submissive footsteps of the servant-hearted Son of God. For there's no more prestigious role in the world than humbly occupying the position, and performing the role assigned by one's heavenly Father. This is what it means to be Christ-like (p. 40-42).

 After reading these words, God quickly began to put my 'work' into perspective. Yes, the laundry is out of control. Yes, the dishes are dirty and piling up. Yes, I need to rerun the dryer and fold those clothes. But in doing that, I should do it for the glory of God. It's a privilege to be able to do this work for Him, and I should do it with a glad and rejoicing heart. All of this work is part of my role as a woman, wife and mother and being the manager and keeper of my home. No, I shouldn't allow everything to pile up like this. I need to be more disciplined and get it done on a regular basis. But God's grace is sufficient for me even when the laundry piles up, and His grace is sufficient to save me from my self-centeredness when I just want to do what I want to do and NOT the things that I should do -- take care of my house and family well. Although it feels 'lowly' at times, it's no comparison to the servant-like example that Christ provided for us, and I'm very thankful to be reminded of this great gift this morning.

Here are some similar thoughts about Womanly Dominion from the discussion of the book on girltalk.