Workwoman’s Comp
by 
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the fifteenth time today
Matching up socks, sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip, color on your lips, and head out the door
While I may not know you, I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
‘Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing you do
In Steven Curtis Chapman’s 2011 hit song, “Do Everything”, he opens with these words of encouragement for homemakers who have lost their sense of purpose. In the song, he goes on to address white collar workers, blue collar workers, students, missionaries, etc. His message remains the same to each of these groups: your job matters, just as long as you are working for the glory of God. And the passing of 15 years has not dulled Mr. Chapman’s timeless message. Give it a listen if you need a pick-me-up! Sometimes we all need reminding that our work here on earth is not in vain.
In this month’s article, Workwoman’s Comp: For Those Hurt on the Job, my goal is to remind you that homemaking is a worthy enterprise, even in spite of the trials and tribulations one may suffer on account of her domestic duties. Now you might be asking, what in the world is “workwoman’s comp”? This is just a bit of word play on my part–a spoof of the term “workman’s comp”–since my audience is female. You know what “workman’s comp” is: it’s insurance that provides medical and wage compensation to people who are injured or become ill at work. Typically, the injuries and illnesses that a homemaker suffers are those of the mind, rather than those of the body. What kind of compensation can there be for pains that are emotional and not physical? For example, will a wife be “entitled to compensation” when she has served a critical and disagreeable husband? Will a mother be “entitled to compensation” when she has served ungrateful and demanding children? Will a homemaker be “entitled to compensation” when she has been consistently overworked and underpaid? Can there ever be an “injury settlement” for such a one? I am here to tell you that, yes, there is indeed compensation for those “hurt on the job”…though this compensation is not of a financial nature. Have you sustained homemaking related injuries? Today, I am going to educate you on two forms of compensation that you can claim. First, let us learn about “Injury Settlement” #1:
In the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. – Philippians 2:16b
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
When others do not appreciate our good efforts, it’s easy to overlook the fact that we can appreciate our own good efforts.
If you pay all the household bills on time and your husband doesn’t give you any credit for it, did you still pay the bills on time? If you whip up a tasty lasagna and your children scarf it down without a word of thanks, did you still whip up a tasty lasagna? If you clean the house from top to bottom just to have your family carelessly wreck it again, did you still clean the house from top to bottom? Feelings may answer “no”, but truth answers “yes”. The disregard of others does not negate the reality of a job well done. Others may fail to recognize your worth, but they cannot stop you from seeing your own. While it is wonderful to receive outside validation, the harsh reality is that you may never receive any. Will you lose all self-confidence? Will you rage? Will you weep? Will you throw in the towel? Or will you look upon your work, and say within yourself, “I did well“?
If you know you have a critical, disagreeable husband, are you not setting yourself up for disappointment by looking to receive credit from him? Instead of expecting credit, take a few moments to revel in the new “zero balance” on each bill you pay, and thank God for the money supply you have from which to draw. If you know you have ungrateful, demanding children, are you not setting yourself up for disappointment by looking to receive thanks from them? Instead, take a few moments to savor the aroma, sight, and taste of the lasagna you made, and thank God for the hands you have to prepare meals with. If you know you have a careless family, are you not setting yourself up for disappointment by looking for them to help you maintain a clean and tidy home? Instead, take a few moments to cross each completed chore off your to-do list (supremely satisfying), and thank God for the energy you have to stay productive. Always take time to admire a job well done. Much personal satisfaction can be found in having faithfully accomplished the tasks that are yours to perform. Carry on, keep your chin up, do not grow weary of doing good (2 Thessalonians 3:13b).
❝Hang on the walls of your mind the memory of your successes. Take counsel of your strength, not your weakness. Think of the good jobs you have done. Think of the times when you rose above your average level of performance and carried out an idea or a dream or a desire for which you had deeply longed. Hang these pictures on the walls of your mind and look at them as you travel the roadway of life.❞ – James Whistler
Now, let us learn about “Injury Settlement” #2:
Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. – Proverbs 31:31
Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. – Matthew 25:21b
When others do not appreciate our good efforts, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the King of Kings appreciates our good efforts.
Scripture reminds us time and again that the praise we should be looking for is that which comes from God, rather than people. We homemakers don’t do what we do because we are “striving to please men“…we aren’t performing “eye-service, as men-pleasers“…nor “with external service, as those who merely please men“. (Galatians 1:10; Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 3:22) Here is what the aforementioned passages tell us we ought to focus on: “seeking the favor of God…be[ing] a bond-servant of Christ“, “doing the will of God from the heart“, and “fearing the Lord“. The world claims that “no good deed goes unpunished“, but Christians know that no good deed goes unrewarded. We are promised that the One who takes note of our every action will see to it that we are recompensed for the time and energy we sacrifice for others. (Matthew 6:4; Colossians 3:23-24) Our Father will always take time to award a “well done” job. As the popular hymn asks, “won’t it be grand to hear Him say, ‘well done’?” Certainly there is no greater honor. Remember Who it is that you are working for. He sees every bill you pay, every lasagna you make, every surface you clean.
❝What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and work flow.❞ – Martin Luther
In conclusion…
A “Job Well Done” is a “Well Done Job“!
A “Well Done Job” is a “Job Well Done“!
Homemaker, have you ever been “hurt on the job”? Take heart, for there are two forms of compensation you can claim. One of these is a “Job Well Done“…the compensation of taking joy in your own work. The other is a “Well Done Job“…the compensation of knowing God will be your rewarder. When you remember who you are and Whom you serve, the “injuries and illnesses” begin to fade away, and your life’s purpose will be made clear.
❝This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.❞ – Elisabeth Elliot
For God’s glory,
Mrs. Dustin Bolks
Chaste Bolks is a church of Christ preacher’s wife, and the home educating mother of two children. She and her family currently reside in Northwest Iowa.
