Holy Ground, Home, & Housework

Some days, I wake up and walk around my house feeling my chest rise looking at the chaotic mess I didn’t get done the day before. 

 Trampling over toys, incomplete laundry, and dishes that seem to load up by the end of the day. I pause, I stare, and I wonder which of the objects in each room I should tackle first.

 I take a deep breath and notice that my heart and my mind is overwhelmed with a running checklist. Why can’t everything just get done all at one time? You can talk to a dozen mothers and I am sure they can identify the housework that makes their minds melt with the thought of trying to get it all done. 

 One day, or maybe more than one day, I find myself pouting about all the responsibilities that are in my hand. I put on a Wonder Woman cape that fails me because as much as I love her character, I will never be able to live the all-powerful fantasy life of fighting my enemies like Wonder Woman. 

 Each time moments of fatigue enter my housework bubble,  I reflect on the actions that led me into a desert of shame for not getting all the house things done. 

 I remember, “This is Holy ground.” I remember when the Lord spoke to Moses in Act 7:33 and told him, “‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 

 Holy ground. Biblically, holy ground is the place where the presence of the Lord is welcomed. It is the place where we stand in humility and meekness in honoring the Lord for who He is and the grace He gives us to live each day, each moment with divine, specific, and strategic purpose.

 As we look at each space of our home, we can look at it as “holy ground”. A place where we can cultivate a heart of worship on the best days and even the more chaotic ones. When our heart grows weary in caring for children and the mundane moments of raising a family feels messy, we can rest in knowing, 

 Our home is holy ground for our kids. 

Our home is holy ground for our marriage. 

Our home is holy ground for our mistakes.

Our home is holy ground for our fears. 

Our home is holy ground for our tears.

Our home is holy ground for our joy. 

 Our home is holy ground for the housework that sets us on the edge of our seats when we desperately want to dismiss ourselves from the dinner table with our family and attend to our to-do list. 

 Because we have the opportunity to welcome the Lord and His presence in our home, we can be assured that it is a sacred place. It is the place where we can stretch our arms, bend our knees in prayer, and give a loud or soft war cry in our weary days. A holy ground where Jesus is invited to interrupt the mundane, the housework, and fill those spaces with His “peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).”

 Just maybe, like Moses, we need to take our shoes off a little more often and create the space for holy ground to be built wherever our feet are planted.

 We can create the space for holy ground in our jobs when we disagree with our coworkers. 

 We can create the space for holy ground when we don’t know the answer to how to raise our children.

 We can create the space for holy ground when we don’t see eye to eye in a friendship. 

 We can create the space for holy ground when we are learning how to strengthen our marriage. 

 We can create the space for holy ground in the conversations we have with hurting people. 

 We can create the space for holy ground wherever we allow ourselves to enter the presence of the Lord and invite him into each space. 

 Holy ground is where we hear God at His word. So yes, this is more than housework, this is the place for holy ground. 

 What places can God plant your holy ground?