Laundry in the Temple

It started with a friend in trouble.

Hundreds of miles away, an old school friend was wrestling with a marriage in tatters, three children under six, a profound identity crisis and a lot of laundry. A LOT of laundry.

I resisted giving her advice as I only shared the last of these issues but the laundry I could understand. Laundry is my housekeeping nemesis. It is always there, I am always behind, I never see the end of it. My friend had three times as many children as me and was using cloth nappies. I knew she hated the laundry as much as me so I started praying for her every time I loaded the washer. I tried to send her an encouraging text too every couple of days, just letting her know I was thinking of her but mostly I followed the load and pray principle.

Two weeks later, I received an amazing e-mail from her. She had sat down with her husband for an entire evening and they had talked, really talked, for the first time in many years. Issues were discussed which had never been raised between them, misunderstandings were resolved and a new honesty entered their relationship. Her e-mail was full of joy and hope as she shared her conviction that her marriage could probably survive after all.

I read it in tears at God's goodness. It also really made me realise that bleary-eyed, mumbled prayers from tired Mummies, loading washing machines (and feeding babies, wiping down counters and changing nappies) really could have an effect on the world. It also reminded me how it's the power of the Giver which counts, not the quality of the prayers. A good thing too, really!

Since then, I have seen my home in a new light. My home is where I spend most of my time. If I worship God in the way I choose to undertake my daily tasks, whether it's the cleaning, handling our finances, tackling the endless piles of laundry or the way I bring up my daughter, then my home really is a temple.

My husband and I both have Jewish roots. In Judaism, the home is the main centre of worship, not the synagogue and I have always had an real interest in translating this idea into Christian practices. As our daughter grows, we are creating new traditions, not just around birthdays and secular events but also around religious festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Michele Guiness once said "Your children's' best memories should be around home and faith". Amen to that.

Welcome in to a corner of our world as I try to find a faith that works on the other six days. Just mind that pile on the floor over there. You see, there's quite a lot of laundry in my temple.