All Women are Working Women

The way we view work in our culture is interesting. How we spend the hours of our day defines us. We meet new people and ask, “What do you do?” They answer, “I am a ______.” Whatever we put in that blank defines us.

Not only that, but the work we do is valued based on the level of education it requires, how far we’ve advanced in our profession, and how much we earn doing that job. There’s a hierarchy of sorts, making certain kinds of work more important than others.

Since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to help people. I remember volunteering at our local crisis pregnancy center, helping the director with various tasks and thinking, “I want a job like this one day.” And I worked hard to that end, both in my educational pursuits and in my work in the counseling field.

When my oldest son was born, we decided it would be best for our family that I stay home with him. I had to admit, as much as I believed in that decision, it was equally hard for me. My identity was wrapped up in my work. I struggled with taking on my new role as “stay at home mom.” Even now, when I attend classes and workshops to stay up to date on what is happening in the counseling field, I often stumble through introducing myself to others in the class, as everyone else introduces themselves by the work they do.

But when I think about it, I do a lot of work in my day and I labor hard at what I do. Some of it is mundane repetitive work such as that of maintaining a home: paying bills, sweeping and mopping, washing dishes. Other work involves investing in the minds and hearts of my children through discipleship and homeschooling. As a church member, I serve in discipleship ministry and host a small group in my home. As a seminary student, I learn and study. I serve my denomination in my role as editor and as Regional Adviser on the national women’s ministry team. I also labor in my writing and speaking ministry.

Whether I get paid for it or not, I am a working woman.

Because of the way our society views work, and the value it places on certain kinds of work, it is tempting to do the same in our lives as women. It’s tempting to think that mundane work isn’t important. It’s tempting to think that time spent investing in the heart of another person is wasted time. It’s tempting to think that only income producing work is valuable. But we need to remember that all things done for the glory of God is never wasted. All work that is done for God’s sake is good work, whether anyone sees it or not.

Your efforts to cook a healthy meal for your family is important work. The time you spend mentoring that college student is an eternal and valuable investment. The work you do behind the scenes that no one notices or people take for granted is important work. The job you faithfully go to each day, even though it’s not your dream job, is honoring to the Lord. While your work may not be glamorous or valuable to the world’s eyes, while you may not receive payment for your labors or the pay you receive isn’t much to write home about, it is valuable to the Lord.

All our work is valuable because of the work Christ completed for us. His holy, perfect, and righteous work of obeying the law on our behalf was given to us. “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). His sacrificial work at the cross paid the penalty that we were due. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Even now, he labors for us before the throne and intercedes for us (see Rom. 8:34).

Jesus’s work reshapes our own work and makes it holy. His work paves the way for all the work that we do—the seen and the unseen, the mundane and the spectacular, the boring and the interesting, the easy and the hard. Because of the work that Christ did for us, all our work is done through him and for him. Because we are united to him by faith, God looks at all our efforts and labors and doesn’t see our failures, mistakes, blunders, and sins, but sees Jesus’s perfect work on our behalf. Jesus’s righteous work for us makes all the work we do valuable. This is good news for working women!

And God promises that our efforts to labor in his name will one day reap a harvest:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal. 6:8–10)

So whether you work in the home or outside the home, whether your work is exciting and glamorous or boring and mundane, whether you receive pay for your work or not, know that your work is valuable in the sight of God. May we as Christian women labor hard to the glory of God because of the work our Savior has done for us.

*This post is inspired by Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms.

A Prayer for the Work of Motherhood

Years ago, I spent months working on a book proposal. Various friends then spent weeks helping me to edit it. And then it was rejected by more publishers than I care to recount. Since then, it has remained tucked away in the depths of my computer files— and, if it were possible, collecting dust.

One of the hardest things about writing is when something that you write isn’t used. When I spend hours crafting just the right sentence, when I’ve woven my heart and soul into each paragraph of a work, and it is never read, it makes all the time, effort, and energy seem like a waste. It’s disheartening and discouraging.

But writing isn’t the only thing I put energy into that no one sees. Countless things that I work on throughout the day go unnoticed by those around me. The laundry that I fold and put away. The items that I pick up off the floor and return to their rightful places. The time and effort that I pour into my children’s hearts and spiritual growth. My intercessory prayers for God to be at work in them. Decisions and choices that I make for the benefit of those around me. The time and effort that I sacrifice in order to serve and provide. When I don’t see the fruit of that work, sometimes I grow weary and wonder, Is it worth it?

Motherhood is filled with repetitive duties: changing diapers, making lunches, teaching and re-teaching our children the same lessons. Not to mention taking our kids to the pediatrician, making sure they have clothes and shoes that fit for their first day back at school, and keeping track of who needs to go where and when. It’s hard to clean up a mess of toys and know that we’ll just have to do it again in a few hours. It’s often disheartening to know that the discussions we have with our children about kindness and sharing with others will have to be reviewed again and again before they sink in. Sometimes we get to the end of a day and feel like nothing of significance has been accomplished. We’ve worked hard—but what do we have to show for it?

Here’s an important truth to remember: God sees our labors on behalf of our children and family. He never misses our efforts or takes them for granted. He knows all the mundane tasks and repeated duties we have performed. And when we labor for him, he is glorified. That’s because we were created for a purpose: to glorify God and enjoy him forever, as the Westminster Catechisms tell us. This is what we are called to do, in all things big and small—in the important and the seemingly unimportant. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)

All our work—whether we leave the house in the morning to go to work or work out of an office in our home or stay home to care for our children—is done for God’s glory and fame, not our own. It’s done not for the praise or accolades of our boss or our children but for the sake of our Savior. Our hearts’ posture is for Christ to be known—not ourselves. We want his name to be magnified throughout the earth—not our names. When our work goes unnoticed, when our children seem indifferent to our labors on their behalf, when we do the same mind-numbing tasks over and over and wonder why it even matters, we need to remember for whom we toil. We live to honor and magnify the One who made us and saved us.

All our work matters to God.

A Gospel Prayer for the Work of Motherhood

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58)

Father in heaven,

I come to you, in prayer, exhausted from my labors. I don’t even know what I have accomplished. I know that I met my children’s needs. I know that I labored on behalf of my family. I know that I checked a few things off my to-do list—but then a few more things were added, too. But some days, my work for my children and family seems so monotonous. I repeat the same instructions over and over. I intervene in the same squabbles. I do the same task that I know I’ll have do again before the day is done. It’s hard to think that this work matters—that my efforts make a difference.

But then I remember that you see all things. You know all things. You see and know all my labors—the big and small. Forgive me for forgetting that. Forgive me for living as though I work for the praise and affirmation of others, rather than for you and your glory. Forgive me for wanting to be seen by others rather than rejoicing that I am known and seen by the Maker of the universe.

I thank you for the work that Jesus did on my behalf. I thank you that all his work redeems my work and makes it holy. I thank you that you look at me and see Jesus’s perfect life. I thank you for the Spirit’s work in me that makes me more like Christ.

Help me each day as I nurture, teach, disciple, and care for the eternal souls you have given me. Help me to work hard. Help me to labor for your honor and praise. Help me to reflect you in my labors to my children and to others who see me. Help me not to grow discouraged or to give up in my labors. I pray that you would use my work to bear rich fruit for your kingdom. Strengthen and sustain me by your grace.

In Jesus’s name, amen.

Note: This post is a modified excerpt from my forthcoming book: Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms, available for pre-order now.

Want to join the launch team and get access to the book before it’s released? Click here to join the FB page for the launch team.

Your Work Never Goes Unseen

About five years ago, I spent months working on a book proposal. Various friends spent weeks helping me edit it. And then it was rejected by more publishers than I care to recount. Since then, it has sat forgotten tucked away in the depths of my computer files, and if it were possible, collecting dust.

I recently remarked to a friend that one of the hardest things about writing is when something isn't used. When hours are spent crafting just the right sentence, when I've woven my heart and soul into each paragraph, and it is never read, it makes all the time, effort, and energy seem like a waste. It's disheartening and discouraging.

But writing isn't the only thing I put energy into that no one sees. There are countless things throughout the day I work on that goes unnoticed by those around me. The laundry I fold and put away. The items I pick up off the floor and return to rightful homes. The time and effort I pour into my children's heart and spiritual growth. The intercessory prayers I pray for others. 

There are many things I sacrifice for and put energy into that go unnoticed. Things that I might invest in and never see fruit develop. Decisions and choices I make for the benefit of those around me. Sacrifices of time and effort to serve and provide for others. And sometimes I grow weary and wonder, is it worth it?

Friends, perhaps you grow weary too. After changing hundreds of diapers, cleaning up the house at the end of each day only to have to repeat it again the next, working hard at a job where no one seems to care, helping the unappreciative, or writing words no one sees, we can start to think, why bother? 

But here's the truth: 

God sees.

And all things done for his glory and in his name are never wasted. That includes the laundry we fold, the meals we prepare, and all the quiet, mundane acts of service we provide for our family. It includes the efforts to do the right thing when it would be easier not to. It includes working hard even when no one else cares to. It includes ceaseless prayers with a prostrate heart. And it includes even the strings of words that lie dormant on my hard drive. All work done for God's sake is good work, whether anyone sees it or not.  

This is what we are called to do, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). Our work is done for God's glory and fame, not our own. It's not done for the praise or accolades of man but for the sake of our Savior.

We work hard because Christ first worked for us. His holy, perfect, and righteous work in obeying the law in our stead was given to us. His sacrificial work on our behalf at the cross paid the penalty we were due. His work paved the way for all the work we do, the seen and unseen, the mundane and the spectacular, the boring and the interesting, the easy and the hard. Because of the work Christ did for us, all our work is done through him and for him.

"So ought you to behave this day, and every day; for you belong wholly to him who loved you, and gave himself for you. Let the love of Christ constrain us in this matter: let us put on the yoke of Christ, and feel at once that we are his blood-bought possession, and his servants for ever, because by faith he has become ours and we are his. We ought to live as Christ's men in every little as well as in every great matter; whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we should do all to the glory of God, giving thanks unto God and the Father by Christ Jesus. Thus, you see, faith in him who gave himself for us leads us to spend our energies in his service, and to do our ordinary work with an eye to his glory, and so our life is coloured and savoured by our faith in the Son of God."-Charles Spurgeon

And God promises that our work for him will not be wasted, "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:8-10). We are also assured that the work he is doing in and through us will be completed upon his return, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

So friends, if you are working hard for the Lord, don't give up. Don't despair. All your work done for God's glory is storing up for you eternal treasures that far outweigh any accolades or acknowledgement in the here and now. None of it is wasted or lost. Your quiet faithfulness in all things, even in the unseen and in the monotonous and mundane, is seen by your Father in Heaven. So let your Savior's holy and sacrificial work for you be your motivation and joy for service.