How Keeping Your Home Glorifies God

July 28, 2025

Within the last year, I have gained a love for reading. Now, I don’t read fiction, biographies, or history books. I mainly read Christian wife, family, and theology books, as well as “crunchy” lifestyle and traditional health related books. I have found a love for books that encourage me in my own home and in my walk with the Lord. All of this to say, one of my favorite books I’ve ever read (I’ll do a whole post dedicated to books that have impacted me) is called The Fruit Of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson. Everything in this book resonates with me, and I feel like it is a book I could and should read over and over. I specifically want to focus on the chapter titled the “duties of homemaking”. Nancy talks about how God has blessed us with our homes, and it will help us to recognize that our homes do not belong to us. They are loaned to us for the time being, and we ought to care for them well. She writes, “Our attitude toward our homes should be one in which we seek to glorify Him in our daily use of the things He has graciously loaned to us.” She goes on to explain that this recognition should keep us humble, content, and thankful. She also states, “Remembering that our homes belong to God should also have a significant impact on the way we manage them… We serve a God who is holy, righteous, orderly, not chaotic, and is the Creator of all that is lovely. Surely our homes should reflect this.” I couldn’t agree more with Nancy urging women to think about your home as if you are caring for something God has asked you to watch over and tend to. Certainly having this perception would affect our diligence and work ethic at home, as well as our joy and contentment.

It never hurts to romanticize the duties of homemaking, as I often do, but perhaps it’s more impactful to think about how we can bring glory to God any given day through the simplicity of keeping our home. I have found that having an attitude of gratitude can be very powerful in changing the way I view a task in front of me. Let’s take folding laundry for example. I’d say my least favorite laundry to put away is socks because there is so much matching and folding, and often I’m left with a lonely sock and pairs that don’t match. And my OCD would never let me just dump all the clean socks into a drawer and go on my merry way, so there I am matching and folding. But imagine while matching socks, I pray to God and thank Him for my husband who wears these socks, and think about how blessed I am to afford socks, and that I even have the fine motor skills to fold them. Okay, maybe that seems a little deep, but the bottom line is that being thankful affects how you view a task in front of you. Sing praises to God while washing the dishes, take breaks from folding towels to step outside and admire His creation, or even listen to a sermon while you declutter your cupboards. The important thing is to not let yourself become ungrateful, bitter, and miserable that this is your reality. There is JOY in homemaking, and focusing our eyes on Jesus and working heartily unto Him, will keep us from being downcast and will bring honor and glory to Him at the same time.

My daughter is 9 months old right now. She is crawling, trying to stand, laughing and babbling, and developing her personality. She is so much fun! But even caring for her gets tiring and overwhelming at times. In those moments I have realized that I have a choice. I can resent my daughter for taking up so much of my time and energy, or I can praise God for the gift that it is to be her mother. The latter thought always humbles me, and I find myself grateful and energetic to keep going. I often observe my daughter playing and exploring and think how amazing it is to witness a baby experience the world for the first time. Being outside and seeing the leaves rustle, hearing the birds sing, touching grass, and smelling flowers, must be so incredible to these tiny souls. It was once incredible to us, and we can return to that awe and wonder when we pause and praise the One who created it all. I include this because caring for our children is honoring to God, and it is a part of homemaking if you are a mother. And when you find yourself with some down time, how are you spending those minutes or hours? Are you binge watching a TV show or mindlessly scrolling Instagram trying to escape or find fulfillment (I’ve been there too many times), or are you in God’s Word, giving your cares to Him in prayer, or spending that precious time in productive housework? I’m not saying that you can’t do a bit of everything with good intentions, but I believe it’s crucial to spend time with God and give thanks to Him for all the day’s responsibilities, or we can spiral into bitterness and displeasure. The old saying rings true for all aspects of our life, but especially our faith: use your time wisely.

Elisabeth Elliot once said,

“Ordinary work, which is what most of us do most of the time, is ordained by God every bit as much as is the extraordinary. All work done for God is spiritual work and therefore not merely a duty but a holy privilege."

I couldn’t agree more with this. All the duties and chores we must complete day in and day out to manage a home well, matter to God. And our mindset during work matters to God as much, if not more, than the completion of the work itself. Our act of making our home warm, clean, nourishing, and comforting brings honor and glory to God. We are his faithful servants doing the good work He has called us to. You do not labor in vain.

I couldn’t be more glad that you’re here, friend.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31