How I Learned To Love Doing Laundry

{If you're just here for the deals (I understand!) scoot on past to the next penny pinched post. But, if you need a little encouragement in your daily work today, maybe this is just for you!}

I do a lot of laundry around here. My guess is that in the last thirteen years since having children, at an average of 4.5 loads of laundry per week, I've done just over 3,000 loads of laundry now that I've claimed the awesome title “mom.”

And most of those days (ummm . . . almost every single one?) I've begrudgingly folded tiny socks, turned shirts inside out, and of course fluffed (and re-fluffed) pants or pretty pink dresses in hopes of never plugging in an iron.

Last spring though, I had one of those lightbulb moments as I folded. It dawned on me that I could use those few minutes to pray for my family members as they're out in the world each day, away from our secure home.

Our laundry room

As I fold their socks, I pray that God will guide their footsteps while they walk through the halls at school.

When hanging up their shirts, I pray that He will help them put on the full armor of God in a world I can't protect them from.

When folding their pants, I pray that God would place them in just the right spot in their classrooms or at work today.

And when putting their clothes away I pray that God would inhabit their room and make it a safe place where they sleep peacefully that night.

It's helped take some of the dailiness out of one of my most mundane tasks, and reminds me just how blessed I am to have crazy abundance in my (sometimes monotonous) everyday daily life. (I have machines that do all the washing and drying for me ~ how on earth can I complain?) And it's given me a way to re-connect not only with my family as they're out and about, but also with a God who loves them even more than I ever could.

This was my children's first week back at school, and I think I'll always have a difficult time watching them go. But this is something tiny I can do, that gives more purpose to the work He's granted me here at home while they're gone. And while my prayers are nothing fancy (at all!), this is a simple way I've been able to pray specifically for each one of them throughout the day.

Have you found ways to pray for your make a “daily” job more meaningful while working at home or in a job outside your home?  I'd love to hear your tips and suggestions too!

{On a side note, I will not be sharing this post with my hubby who occasionally offers to fold laundry . . . . I wouldn't want to rob him of his opportunity to help!} 😉