I pick up the socks from the floor, rub the toothpaste off the mirror. It’s lunchtime and I just finished cleaning up after breakfast. The buzzer on the dryer went off, reminding me with every passing minute that laundry waits to be folded and put away. When the phone rings and friends ask, “Are you busy? What are you up to?” I shrink at the thought of another day gone. What in the world of significance have I done? “No I’m not busy; I’m…just cleaning up around here.”

I pick up the mail and flip through the catalogs I don’t remember subscribing to, but have somehow found their way into my kitchen. In “catalog world,” the girls are forever 25 years old. Houses are spotless with nothing needing repair, and there’s not a dish out of place. Plants never droop. Flowers never fade. And most of the time, you will never see children…unless they are quietly curled up in a cozy chair with a book in their perfectly decorated rooms. Pillows remain fluffed and couches unwrinkled.

Somehow we imagine life should be like this…catalog world! Some would like us to think that marriage and motherhood is a job for those who otherwise couldn’t find meaningful employment!

Being a homemaker is not a hobby. I didn’t collect a husband, children, and now grandchildren because they are cuter than shoes. Homemaking doesn’t simply squeeze into my free time between going to the gym, getting my nails done, and shopping. It is something God has given me to do—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—and it is my calling (my privilege!) to spend time and energy caring for my family.

Today, it is hard to get this perspective from culture. Laying down my life for the sake of others, or giving up precious limited resources, is not inspired by watching sitcoms or reading romance novels.

I can only tell you what I know the Bible says clearly: To find your life, you must lose it. The greatest One in all the universe came and emptied Himself for our sakes and was given a name that is above every name. Only if we follow Him faithfully will we share in joy and life and glory that are unimaginable.

We Christian women must have a different paradigm. Evaluating people and things on a mere 80 or 90 years of life, instead of eternity, is a bad bargain. If you can only imagine the beauty of your simple life shining 10 billion years into eternity! The Word of God is crystal clear about the significance and reward of even a cup of water given in His name (see Mark 9:41). Jesus Himself notices and will reward the smallest good you do, even though others may not!

The question I have is, are you living and loving and serving in a way that will shine ever brighter unto that perfect day (Proverbs 4:18), or will what you do appear like a vapor of smoke, only to vanish away (James 4:14)? Your outlook regarding these small, seemingly insignificant details is your revealing answer.

May we lift up our eyes and see, from our little rooms and this short hour, beyond all time and space to the Lord God of eternity. May we be among those faithful women who “by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, [to whom] he will give eternal life.” (Romans 2:7)