Working Joyfully (Day 6)

For this woman, her work is not drudgery. It’s not chores, though she could certainly look at it that way. But she’s chosen to have a different kind of attitude about work because she sees the end results. She sees the purpose. She sees the meaning. She sees the motivation behind that work. It’s love. It’s love for others. It’s love for God. It’s her love for God that makes her willing to work with her hands in providing food and clothing and cleanup around the house. It’s motivated by love.

“Only love can make such diligent service sweet and delightful. Where love is lacking, this work will be the worst drudgery.” Some of you are familiar with the name Brother Lawrence. He was a 17th century monk whose job in the religious order that he was in was to work in the kitchen. But he learned to do it with a cheerful heart, out of love for God. And then there comes to us in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, the great little classic, that I think is so encouraging to us as women as we do our work.

He said, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.” And keep in mind what his business was: working in the kitchen—kitchen crew, kitchen cleanup—that was his job. He said, “My job, my work, does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons at the same time are calling for different things.”

Does this sound like your life? Any of you that are mothers at home—several persons calling at you at the same time for different things? He said, “In the midst of all that noise and clutter, I possessed God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees in prayer.”

Isn’t that great! Now, he didn’t start out that way, I’ll just tell you that. As you read The Practice of the Presence of God, you see that this was a process for him. But that most menial and manual labor becomes holy. It becomes sanctified, consecrated, when I give it up to God as an offering.

The verse that has come to mind is where Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (2 Corinthians 12:15). So what’s the apostle Paul—he had glamorous work. We always think somebody else’s work is more glamorous than ours. Paul said, “No matter what it costs me, I will do it gladly because the purpose of my life is to be spent for you.” That’s the purpose of my life: to glorify God by being spent for you. And those of you who are wives and mothers, that’s how you glorify God, by spending and being spent and being used up for others.

So, you’re going to do it. The question is: Are you going to do it gladly, or are you going to do it resentfully? Jesus said when He spoke about doing the work of the Father, “I delight to do Your will, O God” (Psalm 40:8, NKJV). And I realized as I reviewed that phrase recently, that I generally sooner or later submit to do the will of God, but often I don’t delight to do the will of God.

If I want to be like Jesus, then I need to pray, “Oh Lord, give me a heart that delights to serve, that delights to work, that delights to be spent on the behalf of others. If this is Your will for my life, if these are tasks of Your appointing, then help me to do them with joy. Help me to work willingly with my hands.”

There’s a prayer at the end of Psalm 90 that I’ve made my prayer many times. Let’s offer up this prayer to the Lord: “O God, we pray that You would let Your work appear to Your servants and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish, direct, and determine the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:16–17, paraphrased).

Biblically, there’s a special significance to working with our hands, starting with the fact that God works with His hands. Psalm chapter eight tells us that the heavens are the work of His fingers (Psalm 8:3), and when that passage is quoted again in Hebrews one, it says, “The heavens are the works of your hands” (Hebrews 1:10). Psalm 8 tells us, “You have made man,” God has made man, “to have dominion over the works of your hands” (Psalm 8:6).

This earth is the work of God’s hands. Psalm 111 tells us the works of His hands are truth and justice (Psalm 111:7). And then, we know that Jesus worked with His hands. Growing up as the son of a carpenter, it’s certain that He did labor as a carpenter with His hands. He also used His hands to be a means of blessing to others. Matthew chapter 19: “He laid his hands on the children” (Matthew 19:15). Luke 24, as Jesus was getting ready after His resurrection to be ascended back into Heaven, the Scripture says, “He lifted up his hands and he blessed them” (Luke 24:50). He blessed His disciples.

Well, there are so many ways that a woman in the context of her home can use her hands. I made a list of some of those, and you will think of others: sewing and mending clothes, curtains, linens. Cleaning—cleaning dishes, cleaning clothing, cleaning children, cleaning toilets, cleaning floors, cleaning spills. And there’s always plenty to do with the hands, picking up after the family, cooking, baking, food preparation, shopping, crafts that are used to make your home beautiful: painting, stenciling, gardening, planting, weeding, tending the garden. - Working with your hands: flower arranging, needle work, writing notes of encouragement—that’s a way you can use your hands to minister grace to others. And by the way, start at home with those notes of encouragement. Some of you are great at thank you notes and notes of encouragement, but do you write your husband and your children notes of encouragement? -Use your hands! Bookkeeping, that may part of your task in your home. It’s something you can do with your hands to help minister grace to your family. Caring for sick children, braiding hair, trimming hair, all kinds of fixing hair, driving children to school, to piano lessons, to sports. This woman seeks wool and flax—she looks for the raw ingredients that she needs, and then she works willingly with her hands.

Let me ask you right now to stop and look at your hands. Just look at them. If you’re a Proverbs 31 woman, or becoming one, as we are committed to becoming together, your hands may not be model’s hands. You may not have perfectly manicured nails. But let me ask you this: Are they serving hands? Are they hands that you’re using to bless and to minister in practical ways to the needs of others?

If they are, then though they may not be beautiful hands, they’re hands like the Master’s. See, Christ’s hands were nailed to a cross. He endured that, out of love, out of the heart of a servant, for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of the plan of redemption.

Can I say that when you serve your family with your hands, when you work with your hands, when you clean and cook, whatever you do with your hands around your home, you’re doing it for the sake of the Gospel. You’re doing it so that your children may know what Jesus looks like, so they may be drawn to Him, so they may want to know Him.

“[But you, King Asa,] Be strong, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

    Jesus, thinking of cleaning and cooking like this makes my heart leap for joy to do them. I mean, it's one thing when I'm reading it, and the next few days thinking about it, But then it fades. Jesus help this to be in my mind all the time. Help me to see that the more I work for my family and others out of love the more my hands will look like Yours. It's so easy to get distracted and put my mind on things that don't matter - especially when looking at other girls my age. Gosh I mean, the look so polished, nails done, hair perfect, makeup looking amazing. Jesus, help me to value the work of my hands: work that will lead Nathan and my children closer to Christ. Jesus, help me to delight in my work. Help me to see it as worship for You. Help me to beable to pray with You as if I were on my knees. In Your heavenly Name, Amen.