Finding God in the Mess: Learning Stillness Through Everyday Tending
In a world where chores never seem to end and our homes constantly ask something of us, tending can feel like a burden. Laundry piles up, dishes reappear as soon as they’re washed, floors gather dust, and clutter creeps in faster than we can clear it. Yet, the truth is, God often meets us not apart from these tasks, but right in the middle of them.
Tending is more than keeping house or getting through a to-do list. It is about cultivating care ~ for ourselves, our homes, and the people we love. And when we approach it with intention, tending becomes a doorway into God’s presence. Over the years, I’ve learned that these moments of care often carry hidden invitations from God. Let me share a few stories that have taught me to see tending differently, and then offer some ways you can begin to notice God’s presence in your own everyday rhythms.
Scrubbing at Iona: Prayer in the Ordinary
During a season spent at Iona Abbey, I discovered how profoundly prayer and work could be woven together. Each day, we gathered first in the chapel to pray, then moved into chores ~ cleaning, gardening, preparing meals.
At first, I resisted the thought that scrubbing floors or washing dishes could be holy work. But slowly, I realized that each act of tending was as much prayer as the hymns we had just sung.
That experience reshaped how I saw my own home. Tending was not separate from my spiritual life. It was an extension of it.
Tip for you: The next time you face a task you dislike ~ scrubbing, folding, sweeping ~ pause and invite God into it. Try praying: “Lord, may this work be a prayer of care and love.”
The Overwhelming Room: Starting Small
I’ve stood in rooms so cluttered and chaotic that I didn’t know where to begin. In those moments, shame and inadequacy whispered loudly: You’ll never get this under control. But I’ve learned that starting with one small space ~ a single counter, a drawer, a corner ~ can quiet the overwhelm. That one step often creates momentum, not just in the room but in my heart.
In those small victories, I’ve sensed God’s loving presence, reminding me that I don’t need to do everything at once. Even small acts of tending are enough.
Tip for you: If you’re overwhelmed, choose one surface to clear. As you do, whisper thanks for the space it opens up in your home and in your spirit.
Fingerprints on the Fridge: Gratitude in the Mess
There was a season when the smudges and fingerprints on my refrigerator drove me crazy. I felt like I was always wiping, and yet the marks came back instantly. One day, instead of seeing them as a failure, I realized they were signs of life ~ of children running through the kitchen, of meals shared, of laughter echoing.
What once felt like an irritation became a reminder of blessing. The mess itself pointed me to God’s gift of family and daily bread.
Tip for you: The next time something messy frustrates you, pause and reframe it. Ask: What life does this mess point to? What gift is hidden here?
Folding Laundry: Turning Repetition Into Prayer
Folding laundry has always felt endless. But I began experimenting with simple prayers as I folded ~ blessing the person each piece belonged to. A shirt became an opportunity to pray for strength. Socks became a prayer for daily protection. Slowly, the monotony turned into meaning.
What was once a chore became a quiet liturgy of love.
Tip for you: Choose one repetitive chore ~ folding, sweeping, ironing ~ and turn it into prayer. Offer gratitude or blessing with each step.
Tending as a Pathway to God
What I’ve learned is that tending doesn’t have to be perfect or complete to be holy. It can happen in the small acts:
When you scrub a floor at the end of a long day.
When you clear one drawer out of many.
When you notice fingerprints and see them as signs of love.
When you fold clothes and whisper blessings.
These are all invitations to encounter God in the mess and the ordinary. Tending is not about achieving a flawless home but about creating spaces of care, peace, and gratitude ~ both outwardly and inwardly.
Final Encouragement
Tending may feel like one more demand on your time, but it can also be one of the most life-giving practices of your spiritual life. By reframing these daily tasks as opportunities for prayer and presence, we resist perfectionism and cultivate gratitude.
As you go about your week, I encourage you to choose one act of tending and approach it differently. Don’t rush it. Don’t resent it. Instead, turn it into prayer. And as you do, may you discover that God is already there ~ in the dishes, the dust, the fingerprints, and the folded clothes ~ ready to meet you in love.
