A cup of tea. Something so simple with a profound effect.
Early Friday morning as I stood in the kitchen making my morning coffee, my daughter wandered out of her bedroom and crawled into the chair I sit in while I have my early morning quiet time. My early morning alone time is a carefully guarded time, and I wasn’t too keen on having company, even company with adorable blonde pigtails. But that small voice inside said to let her spend some time with me that morning, so instead of sending her back to her bed, I asked her if she would like a cup of tea to have while I did my Bible time.
Her eyes lit up as she nodded her head. The little nudge from God was exactly what I needed to see that there was heartwork to be done in my home. Heartwork is my term for the intentional actions taken to engage the heart and train it in the ways of the Lord. Some days it is my heart that needs the majority of work, some days it is my kids, but one thing is for sure…there is always some heartwork that needs done in my family.
Heartwork can look a thousand different ways. That morning heartwork looked like steeping a cup of tea and sharing my alone time with my daughter. On the one hand, there was nothing hard or profound about it—just a mother and her daughter cuddlling in the big rocking chair while we drank our hot beverages, and I read my Bible. On the other hand, it was letting go of my own selfish desires so that I could serve her in a way that would bring her heart closer to me so that I could speak God’s truth into her life and be heard. What it yielded though was a wonderful memory of time spent together and her asking me questions about what I was reading and journaling about.
Sometimes I get so distracted by the housework that I forget about the heartwork. The piles of laundry stare at me. The littlest one empties the pots and pans cupboard. There’s oatmeal under the table and cobwebs in the corners. If I run out of something else to do, the floors could use to be swept and the toilets need scrubbed. .
It is so easy as moms to get distracted by the visible and put aside the unseen. We shut out the still small voice telling us to sit with Jesus and let him minister to our hearts. We see the shoes that need picked up and forget to address the whining that takes place in our hearts. Or we see the mess of toys and forget to compliment the little boy on how hard he worked to figure out which way to set up the train track so that it would make a circle.
Many times it is easier to tackle the housework because the results are immediate. The pots get picked up, the dirt swept into the dustpan, and the laundry pile shrinks (at least until bath time). I can conquer the housework if I work diligently enough for long enough. The results with heartwork aren’t nearly as immediate. We have discussions many times daily about loving each other and not fighting. Difficult questions answered which only leads to more questions. There is biblical encouragement needed, and training to take place. Selfishness and pride rear their ugly heads and need to be dealt with.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
“Above all else, guard your heart” Not after the laundry is caught up and the dishes are done. Above those things. Heartwork is the more important work to be done. Sometimes doing the heartwork will mean putting off the housework to engage with our children, and that is ok. People’s hearts are always more important than the to-do list, and heartwork makes an eternal difference.
Other times it just means being mindful of and intentional about the heartwork while we do the housework. Invite your child or children to join you and teach diligence to them by being diligent yourself. Show them what it means to do your work joyfully as unto the Lord. Use the dirty dishes or laundry as metaphors for what is going on in their own hearts.
“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9
There is so much more to motherhood than cooking food, changing diapers, and cleaning messes. God has given us a special opportunity and responsibility as mothers to point our children’s hearts to him. I challenge you this week as you go about your daily tasks and responsibilities of cooking and cleaning to remember what God has done in your life and to take some time each day to do the heartwork on yourself and your children.
I’d love to hear from you. How do you make sure to engage in heartwork when the housework to do list is a mile long?
