Finding Sacred Moments in the Laundry, Dishes, and 1 John 4:19

If you walked into my house right now, you’d probably find a mountain of warm laundry begging to be folded, a sink full of lunch pans, and a kitchen floor sticky enough to compromise your shoes.

Somewhere between transferring a load of whites to the dryer and stirring the boiling pot of soup for the family’s meal, my mind landed on–

1 John 4:19:
“We love because HE first loved us.”

It’s easy to read that verse on a quiet, cozy coffee table and think, Yes, I can do that. But it hits a little differently when you’re standing over a pile of mismatched socks, running on a few hours of interrupted sleep, and bracing yourself for the afternoon shift of tutoring very energetic little humans.

As a mom and a teacher, my days aren’t filled with grand, cinematic moments of self-sacrifice. “Loving one another” today looked like not screaming when someone spilled those tiny art beads, taking a deep breath before the tenth “Mommy, look!” of the hour, and praying for a challenging student while stirring simmering noodles.

Jesus didn’t hand down this command for Pinterest-perfect days. He gave it knowing we would live in the messy and loud reality of everyday life.

When we choose patience over a meltdown in the middle of our daily chores, we are translating grace into a language little hearts can understand. When we apologize to our children after losing our temper and show them what reconciliation looks like, we are actively demonstrating the “HE first loved us” part of the verse.

So my reminder for myself and maybe for you, too, before we tackle the next chore on the list: The laundry can wait, the dishes will get done, and the chaos will settle. But right here in the middle of the mess, we have the sacred privilege of loving the way we have been loved by Jesus.

Carmela Campanero
Volunteer PEER Kids and Events Team
Philippines