I have found that my housework is a hidden gift. An opportunity to love and serve God more fully then I ever imagined. Though I hate doing the dishes something fierce, I have had the lovely experience of pondering God while I’m hands deep in sudsy water. It’s somewhat therapeutic to dive into housework and use it for reflection and contemplation. It would be unbearable without this connection. It would be painful if I couldn’t find the love of serving.
God shows me that love. While I ponder and scrub I am able to commune with Him. He comes to me in the average moments. In the things I don’t really want to do. He makes them worth my while. As I’m doing the dishes it’s as if He is screaming slow down, telling me, “I’m right here.”
I’ve always felt I needed to be reading or studying or going to church to be with God. I thought I had to go find Him “out there.” I’d rush through my chores, eager to do something more worth while. Little did I know that He is in those dishes. Waiting for me beneath the hot water and dirty plates.
These mundane moments of life, the repetitive chores I’ve never really enjoyed. Oh, what beautiful blessings I’ve missed as I angrily chip away at the never ending pile of dishes. What a beautiful discovery, to find Him there, in the very mess of my life.
Here are some ways I try to make doing the dishes a spiritual exercise:
- Offer them up for someone who needs prayers
- Pray the Rosary
- Memorize new prayers and/or Scripture verses
- Put on some music and dance – giving praise to God
- Contemplate life and the life of Jesus – I typically try to think about his Passion
- Think deeply about the work you are doing and how you can grow through those dirty dishes
- Be still and let your mind wander
