I’m going to be honest with you for a minute: Sometimes I get really bored as a homemaker. Yes, I love my husband. Yes, I love my kids. I’m so so thankful to get to stay home with them. But, it’s so easy for me to lose my focus, my intention, and my joy within my home.

Do you ever have moments (or seasons, or years) that are like this? Do you long to rekindle that love and joy in your homemaking? 

I’ve talked to countless women who have felt like this within their homes. Yes, they also feel overwhelmed, burnt out, in desperate need of a long nap…but more than anything, they are longing for that JOY within their homes. Here’s what a few other homemaker’s said:

• “I really struggle with motivation!” – Jenene T.
• “Not getting burnt out! I get into a routine and things go well for awhile, then I start losing motivation. :(” – Heather C. 
• “I struggle with feeling overwhelmed. I don’t know what to do first, so I get overwhelmed and procrastinate, which turns into a big cycle!” – Elaine E.
• “My biggest struggle in homemaking is staying consistent and being joyful.” – Paris B.
• “I’ve been a homemaker a long time and tasks become repetitive. I’m hoping to find joy in taking care of my family.” Sue S.

Can you relate?

There have been times in my homemaking, when I’m fired up, inspired, encouraged, and ready to tackle each new day as it comes. Then there are times when I have zero motivation, I feel discouraged, and my joy has disappeared! Sadly, it feels like those days are more and more often.

So what’s a busy homemaker to do in hard seasons like this? What do we do on those days when we feel: Discouraged. Overwhelmed. Burnt-out. Tired. Lacking Joy. Bored. Ready to do anything other than housework…

How to Recapture the Joy in Your Homemaking

First, let’s do a little defining. There’s a big difference between being happy and having joy. It’s impossible to be happy in all situations. But God does call us to be joyful in all things, even the HARD things:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” – James 1:2

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There are other verses we could quote, but this gives you a really good idea of how serious the Bible is about rejoicing, giving thanks in all circumstances, and counting it ALL joy!

And this certainly extends to our homemaking and everything we do within our homes. 

But you probably already know you should have more joy – you are probably craving that Joy with fervor! So here are a few ways you can begin to re-capture that Joy within your home:

Remember the Meaning in Your Ministry

As a homemaker, you have been called to a powerful ministry within your home. We need to first recognize that homemaking is a ministry.

It’s how we pour into our families (even when we are elbow deep in dirty dishes and mountains of laundry). It’s how we raise the next generation to know God and love Him. It’s how we then branch out and have effective ministries through our husbands and then also into our neighborhoods and communities.

And then we need to treat our homemaking as a ministry. An amazing thing happens when we make that mental mind shift. We go from surviving each day as we wade through housework to thriving within our homes and marriages by having Gospel-focus and intentionality with each thing we say yes too.

We need to study God’s Word and see His priorities for our lives. Then we apply that to our own homemaking ministries and start setting goals, objectives, and most importantly, priorities within our home are that Gospel-Centered. 

Remembering this ministry we have within our homes is an important part of rekindling that joy in our homes and staying motivated to serve our families.

The Ministry of Homemaking Session Sneak Peek

This year’s Homemaking Ministries Online Conference theme is: The Ministry of Homemaking! Join me in the very first session as I tackle this question of what it means to glorify God from within our homes and how we can view our role as a ministry. Check out the sneak peek of my session:

Memorize God’s Word

Once we’ve studied about our ministry within our homes, a next great step is to memorize Scripture on that topic. So when we are having one of those rough days, we can meditate on God’s Word and allow it to wash over us.

Start by memorizing a few of those key Bible passages that share about our roles as women and homemakers. That way, when you are feeling discouraged (or are lacking motivation), you can recite these passages to yourself. Speaking truth to yourself from God’s Word is one of the best ways to make sure you are staying on track. Here are a couple good ones to memorize (in addition to the ones named above):

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
    and let her works praise her in the gates.” – Proverbs 31:30-31

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” – Titus 2:3-5

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:23-24

Learn How to Memorize Scripture

Scripture memorization – along with daily Bible reading and prayer – is an important part of growing as a Christian. And yet, it’s such an easy habit to neglect when we feel so busy and overwhelmed. That’s why I’m excited to share this sneak peek from my third session of the Homemaking Ministries Online Conference 2015:

The conference is live for three days, October 27-29th, but we’ve designed the conference with busy homemakers in mind so you can watch the video sessions anytime, anywhere, and on any device! The videos are yours to keep – forever.

Play Some Worship Music

This is something I’ve only started doing more recently, and every time I remember to do it, it has a huge impact on my attitude and how I perceive things. When I get up in the morning and seriously lack motivation to get anything done around my house – I know it’s time to put some worship music on.

So while I’m making breakfast and getting the kids up for the day, I’ll play worship music from my iPhone or laptop and it’s amazing what a difference that can make.

When I take that time to really focus on the words of these songs, it can have a profound impact! Here are a few CD’s we love listening to that have really solid worship words:

• Keith & Kristyn Getty (Their In Christ Alone might be my favorite worship song of all time)
• Seeds Family Worship
• Worship by Michael W. Smith

Finding Joy in Homemaking Session Sneak Peek

I am so excited that one of the sessions in this year’s conference is on Finding Joy in Homemaking. Hilary gives some really encouraging advice and practical tips on how we can find Joy within our homemaking. Check out her session sneak peek:

PRAY and Ask God for Joy

And last, but certainly not least, when you are lacking joy in your homemaking – Pray and ask that God would give it to you!

We know that God has called us to have joy in all things (1 Thess. 5:16) and so we can know that it is within God’s will to pray and ask for that joy! When you are feeling unmotivated, bored, or lacking that spark, stop what you are doing, bow your head, and ask God to give you joy and motivation to serve your family.

Then don’t stop there! Remember to pray throughout your day and model this behavior to your kids.

The Priority of Prayer

When life gets busy, and we have too many things on our to-do lists, what gets left out? Is prayer one of those things that gets left out of our busy schedules too often? I hear ya! It’s hard. That’s why I love love love this session from Katie during this year’s conference. She gives so much encouragement on why we need to be praying, some practical suggestions on prayer, and the importance of teaching this to our kids! Watch her sneak peek:

Katie also created some printables on praying with your kids that go along with her session that you can get for FREE with your ticket!

Ultimately, God has called us to be keepers of our homes and to care for our families. We are to serve God within that calling whether we are married or single, whether we have zero kids, three kids, or eleven, whether we live in a small studio apartment or a large ranch home.

We are called to serve – and to do so joyfully! And we are to serve in all areas of our life with Joy. But when we are knee deep in dirty diapers and mountains of laundry, it can be hard sometimes to remember that joy and to live out our ministries from within our homes!

So I invite you this week to join us for the second annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference! We have a line up of 9 amazing speakers that cover 12 practical and inspiring video sessions.

Finding Joy in Your Home: Essential Habits for Christian Homemakers

How do we find joy – real joy – within our days? As women, a lot of what we do can seem mundane and tedious. But when we view our homemaking (and our life) through the lens of the Bible, we can begin to experience real Joy, Peace, and Tranquility in our lives…all for God’s Glory.

Join me for this free training: a 5 part video series that walks you through the essential habits that all Christian homemakers must form!

Get instant access to this free mini eCourse here!

What is ONE thing that you can focus on in Joy today?