The Eternal Work of Homemaking

This post will make you want to work hard as a homemaker—not because of more motivation, discipline, or willpower… but because something inside you will shift.

Once you see the eternal weight of what you’re really doing in your home, you won’t have to force yourself to work hard.
You will long to.

The laundry, the dishes, the stories, the schedules—they stop being drudgery when you realize they are the work of eternity.

I’m going to help you reframe your entire perspective on homemaking—so that instead of dragging yourself through your day, you rise each morning with purpose, clarity, and a deep desire to pour out love in your home.

Stay with me until the end, because I’ll be sharing one of the most freeing mindset shifts that helped me stop being a slave to my to-do list—and start submitting to what the Lord had in store for me instead. This is the secret to remaining joyful even when there’s so much to be done in a day.

Your Work Is Eternal

If you wake up dreading the day—dragging your feet through chores, repeating the same tasks over and over again—maybe it’s not because you’re lazy.
Maybe it’s because you’ve forgotten your ‘why.’

If you wake up and dread the day because you’re thinking about all the things you have to do as tasks—folding laundry, cooking dinner, reading the same books to the children over and over again—it will feel like drudgery.

But if you wake up knowing that the work you pour into your home has an eternal ripple effect… that you’re creating the memories your children will have forever… that you’re shaping eternal souls…
You won’t even need willpower to get out of bed in the morning and work hard all day long.
You will naturally want to.

When you’re folding laundry, you’ll remember: this isn’t just laundry.

• This is my daughter’s favorite dress for twirling.
• This is the sleep sack my toddler drags to every room.
• These are the clothes my husband wears to provide for us.

Every fold becomes an act of love—and an offering to the Lord.

A Higher Calling

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Homemaking is not menial. It is a ministry—your ministry. Your ministry of home.

You are shaping eternal souls. You are creating memories your children will carry into their own homes.

When you see your work through the lens of kingdom work, you won’t need to conjure up willpower.
You’ll want to serve your family and your home so sacrificially because you know you’re actually serving the Lord.

And one of the most powerful ways to reinforce that eternal mindset is to shape your home intentionally, so it reminds you—and everyone in it—of the fruit in doing the will of God.

Make Your Atmosphere Match Your Mission

When your atmosphere aligns with your mission, your home stops draining you… and starts restoring you.

My kids won’t remember how often I vacuumed.
But they’ll remember:

• The smell of cinnamon pancakes on Sunday mornings…
• The way Frank Sinatra sang through the kitchen right before Daddy walked through the door…
• The soft light and smell of the same candle I lit every afternoon.

These little things are not insignificant—they are the memories that will shape how your children remember “home” growing up.

Create the Environment You Want

Regardless of whether you work outside the home as well as in the home—you’re still a homemaker. And the beautiful thing about this role is that you get to create the exact atmosphere you want!

I was working out one morning and the little studio I go to plays the worst music, and I remember thinking, Wow, it would be so horrible to have to work here and listen to this all day.
Then I reflected on how I get to work at home and I literally create the exact work and home environment I want. What a blessing!

Creating a peaceful home isn’t just about candles and music.

You were never meant to white-knuckle your way through homemaking.
God designed this life to be full of beauty, laughter, music, and joy.

I used to take everything so seriously and this led to me being constantly annoyed with my family. My husband actually gave me this advice one day when I was annoyed that he wasn’t listening to me.

I probably said something like, Are you even listening to me right now?
And he had the best response. He said, “Hey, next time you want to say that, try this… be playful.”

He showed me: he walked up to me, took my face in his hands and said, “Hey… can’t you see I’m talkin’?” in a playful tone.

Immediately, I knew he was right.

Was he being rude for not listening? Yes.
Was I being rude in how I admonished him? Also yes.

There is always a more joyful and effective way to get the result you want—and usually it’s just by being playful.

The Joyful Homemaker Builds a Joyful Home

Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

The joyful homemaker builds a joyful home.
And that joy becomes the atmosphere your family grows up in.

The secret to remaining joyful when there’s so much to be done in a day is not letting urgent matters crowd out eternal matters—you need to know how to prioritize.

Don’t Let the Checklist Win

Knowing when you can check a house cleaning task or cooking dinner off your to-do list is easy—and satisfying.

But how do you measure whether your child’s heart has been discipled today? Whether they feel loved and connected to you?
That’s not something you can just check off a list.

It’s something you feel. It’s an organic relationship that, while yes, you can be intentional about, it’s not something you get to just check off. It’s all-in, heart-engaged, Spirit-led work.

I used to structure my whole day around tasks—clean the toilet, vacuum the floors, cook dinner. I knew exactly how long those things would take.

But pouring into my children’s hearts? That’s more ambiguous.

Some days, 20 minutes was enough. Other days… it took all morning.

So I’d put it off. I’d get all my concrete tasks done first.
I defaulted to what I could measure and check off my list.

And I think this is one of the hangups that many Christian mothers have—not that they don’t understand their priorities, but that it’s hard to prioritize their top priorities when the most important things are often the least measurable.

Choose the Better Portion

Proverbs 31 says, “She looks well to the ways of her household.”
That doesn’t just mean cleaning—it means spiritual and emotional stewardship.

You have to know your true priorities. You need to know what you care about.

Mine are:

• Discipling my children
• Serving my family with love
• Keeping everyone healthy and safe

Everything else is just a bonus.

Don’t Be a Slave to the List

If your to-do list is your master, you’ll be a slave to your list instead of a servant to your family.
But if the Holy Spirit is your guide—you’ll always have enough time for what matters most.

I used to be so rigid. I’d plan the week down to the exact amount of muffins each person was supposed to have.

But humans don’t work like that.

Even my husband wasn’t safe from my muffin math. If he ate more than his ration, I’d spiral: Now I have to make more! When will I do that? Someone has to go without!

Now?

I make the muffins.
And I let them last however long they last.

Because I finally understand: my job is to steward, not to control.

I have rough plans for what I’ll make if the muffins don’t last, but the point isn’t just that my family has food—it’s that they feel welcome and loved through it.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Planning is good. We should always plan.
But we should also hold those plans loosely and be open to what the Lord has for us.

If pouring into your family today takes 30 minutes longer than expected—and that means the vacuuming doesn’t get done—that’s okay.

Put it in the Lord’s hands and say, He’ll give me time tomorrow.
Releasing and submitting your time to the Lord can be so honoring—to both God and your family.

You’re Not Just Managing a Home—You’re Building a Legacy

You don’t need more motivation.
You don’t need a stricter schedule or a better routine.

You need to see your work for what it is—a ministry.
You need to remember Who you’re doing it for.

And if you’re ready to stop living like a burned-out taskmaster in your own home—and start becoming the calm, joyful homemaker you long to be—check out the free workshop linked below.
It just might be the turning point you’ve been praying for.