Lent For Homemakers: Week Two - Santifiying The Ordinary

There is a quiet, often overlooked rhythm in the spaces we inhabit. The stove hums, dishes clink, and the laundry waits patiently in its corner. Yet in these ordinary, repetitive movements, God whispers. The challenge—and the invitation—is to see the sacred in the mundane, to offer our small tasks as prayer.

This coming week, we'll step into Week Two of Lent For Homemakers, Sanctifying the Ordinary, leaning into the truth Teresa of Avila spoke so simply: “God walks among the pots and pans.” Here, the ordinary becomes holy; each chore transforms into an act of devotion

❊ Sunday — Lighting the Second Candle
Scripture: Colossians 3:23 — “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Quote: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Homemaking Act: Prepare a simple Sunday breakfast with intention. Notice each movement: the crack of an egg, the swirl of milk in a bowl.
Intentional Encounter: Pause before eating. Dedicate the meal to God, allowing gratitude to settle into your chest.
Journal Prompt: Which ordinary task today can I offer as worship?

❊ Monday — Chores as Prayer
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31 — “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Homemaking Act: Wash dishes slowly. Each plate, each glass, an offering. Let the rhythm of your hands become a rhythm of prayer.
Intentional Encounter: Listen. Hear the subtle sounds of your home—the drip of water, the soft scrape of a sponge. Awareness itself is an act of devotion.
Journal Prompt: How can I make my chores a conscious act of devotion today?

❊ Tuesday — Serving Others at Home
Scripture: Matthew 25:40 — “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Homemaking Act: Set the table with care, mindful of each person who will use it.
Intentional Encounter: As you place utensils and plates, silently pray for each individual. See Christ in the ones you serve.
Journal Prompt: Where is Christ present in the people I serve at home today?

❊ Wednesday — Folding with Intention
Scripture: Psalm 90:17 — “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us.”
Homemaking Act: Fold towels or linens slowly and neatly, offering each fold to God.
Intentional Encounter: Sit for a moment with the folded linens. Reflect on how small, often unnoticed acts can create beauty in the everyday.
Journal Prompt: What small, often unnoticed acts can glorify God in my day?

❊ Thursday — Faithful in the Little Things
Scripture: Luke 16:10 — “Whoever is faithful in little is faithful also in much.”
Homemaking Act: Water and tend your indoor plants or garden. Notice how each leaf unfurls, how life quietly responds to attention.
Intentional Encounter: Watch closely. God’s creativity shows itself in tiny growth, reminding you that faithfulness is measured in small, consistent acts.
Journal Prompt: In what small ways can I be faithful today?

❊ Friday — Seeing Truth and Beauty
Scripture: Philippians 4:8 — “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just…think about these things.”
Homemaking Act: Clean a frequently used surface while praying silently for peace in your home.
Intentional Encounter: Mid-cleaning, pause. Notice the simple, overlooked beauty surrounding you—a ray of sunlight, the curve of a chair, the quiet of an evening.
Journal Prompt: What small beauty or truth did I notice today that I might otherwise overlook?

❊ Saturday — Preparing Thoughtfully
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10 — “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”
Homemaking Act: Prepare clothing or items for the week ahead, laying them out with care.
Intentional Encounter: Take five minutes to breathe deeply, acknowledging God’s presence in preparation.
Journal Prompt: How does preparing thoughtfully for tomorrow become a spiritual practice today?

❊ Living the Ordinary as Worship
This week, allow yourself to step fully into the sacred rhythm of your home. Each dish washed, each bed made, each plant tended, becomes a whispered prayer. The ordinary is not mundane; it is a vessel. Through attentiveness, gratitude, and quiet devotion, our daily lives become a living offering—our hearts, hands, and homes transformed into sanctuaries of worship.

12 Prayers For The Homemakers Heart

Home is where the heart tends its quiet work: folding laundry, setting a table, arranging flowers, or simply noticing the soft light on the floor. These daily rhythms—small, ordinary, and often unseen—carry love, care, and devotion.

As homemakers, our work is meaningful, whether our homes are bustling, shared with a spouse, or tended quietly alone. Every careful gesture, every act of order or hospitality, becomes sacred when offered with intention.

To nurture the heart in the midst of these daily rhythms, I’ve gathered 12 prayers for the homemaker’s heart. They are crafted to minister to women in every season of life and to gently remind us that our home, and the care we give within it, is a place of God’s presence.

12 PRAYERS FOR THE HOMEMAKER'S HEART

❊ For Presence in the Home

“Lord, help me meet each moment here with a calm and open heart.”

❊ For Care in Daily Tasks

“Jesus, let the work of my hands honor You and nurture this home.”

❊ For Peace Within Walls

“Holy Spirit, fill this space with Your quiet presence.”

❊ For Gratitude in Everyday Life

“Lord, open my eyes to the blessings hidden in ordinary moments.”

❊ For Joy in Homemaking

“Jesus, help me find delight in the rhythm of daily care.”

❊ For Patience and Gentleness

“Lord, guide my heart to respond with grace in every task.”

❊ For Beauty in Simple Things

“Holy Spirit, show me the sacred in folding, cooking, and arranging.”

❊ For a Welcoming Home

“Lord, make this house a place of warmth and love for all who enter.”

❊ For Strength in Routine

“Jesus, give me courage and steadiness when the days feel long.”

❊ For Focus and Mindfulness

“Lord, keep my heart present in every small act of service.”

❊ For Peace Amid Noise and Disorder

“Holy Spirit, calm my mind and steady my spirit in the busyness of home.”

❊ For Renewal and Hope

“Jesus, refresh my heart so that I may serve and love anew each day.”

Each of these prayers can be woven into your daily life, whether you are tidying a room, preparing a meal, or pausing for a quiet moment with a cup of tea. They are small reminders that home is sacred, and the work of a homemaker matters—not because it is grand or public, but because it is offered with love, care, and devotion.

To make these prayers even more practical, I’ve created a printable page of all 12 prayers. You can keep them in your kitchen, on your nightstand, or pinned to your bulletin board—whichever place will gently remind you to pause, reflect, and center your heart as you tend your home. 

Download the PDF → HERE 

No matter your season—whether your home is lively or quiet—these prayers are here to nurture your spirit, steady your heart, and bring joy and peace into your daily life. Let them be companions in the sacred rhythm of homemaking, grounding you in God’s presence and the quiet beauty of everyday tasks.

❊

A Holy Reordering: Recovering Peace Room by Room - A Lenten Series on Homemaking and the Interior Life

There is a difference between cleaning and reordering.

Cleaning can be cosmetic.

Reordering is consecration.

Every year as light begins to stretch longer across the floors, many of us feel the urge to open windows, clear surfaces, and begin again. But this series is not about seasonal productivity. It is about spiritual alignment.

Lent is a season of repentance, yes — but also of recalibration. It is the gentle turning of the heart back toward what matters most. And because the home is the place where our loves are lived out daily, it too becomes part of that turning.

Scripture reminds us:

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40

Order in the biblical sense is not rigidity. It is harmony. It is right placement. It is peace.

When our homes feel chaotic, it is rarely only about the laundry or the drawer that will not close. Often, it reflects something deeper: fatigue, distraction, overstimulation, unprocessed emotion, misplaced priorities.

A holy reordering begins beneath the surface.

Over the coming weeks, we will move slowly — room by room — asking not only what needs to be cleaned, but what needs to be realigned.

We will begin where all true order begins.

❊ The Hidden Foundation: The Heart of the Homemaker
Before counters are cleared or closets emptied, we will tend to the unseen place. The atmosphere of a home flows from the spirit of the one who stewards it.

❊ The Kitchen: Where Nourishment Shapes Atmosphere

We will examine the table, the rhythms of meals, and how nourishment is not only physical but emotional and spiritual.

❊ The Bedroom: Rest as a Spiritual Discipline
We will consider rest not as indulgence, but obedience — reclaiming sleep, stillness, and marital intimacy as sacred ground.

❊ The Living Room: Hospitality Without Performance
We will strip away the pressure of curated perfection and rediscover welcome as presence, not presentation.

❊ Closets & Hidden Spaces: What We Keep and Why
We will look honestly at accumulation — not with shame, but with discernment. What are we holding onto? What is holding onto us?

❊ Paper & Possessions: The Weight of the Unnecessary
We will address the quiet mental clutter of stacks, systems, and unfinished decisions — and how simplicity frees attention for what matters.

This is not about achieving a picture-perfect home.

It is about recovering peace.

As the philosopher and mystic Simone Weil once wrote, 

“Order is the first need of the soul.”

And so we begin.

Small Things: Third Saturday in February 2026

 "Life is not, for most of us, a pageant of splendor, but is made up of many small things, rather like an old-fashioned piecework quilt. No two people have the same, but we all have our own, whether it be listening to Beethoven's fifth with a beloved friend, or seeing a neighbor at the back door with a basket of white dahlias. Or after a long, hard day, having the family say, "That was a good supper."

- GLADYS TABER

In no particular order, here are six small things that inspired me this week.

1. The Seasonal Meal Planning System 

I'm always interested in a good menu plan system and this one looks easy and funcctional!

2. Biblical Homemaking 101 | How to be a Godly Homemaker

An inspiring post about the purpose and heart of homemaking!

3. Old Fashioned Housewife In Real Life {free printable biblical word study}

Another great post on what it means to be a housewife.

4. The Homemaker's Hands

Came across this book this week and added it to my library. Looking forward to reading it!

5. My Quiet Cup: My Home Is A Haven

A beautiful post that focuses on gratitude for the home.

6. 10 Soft Homemaking Habits That Turn Your Home Into A Haven

A good reminder that it really doesn't take much to live a calmer more peaceful life, and her blog is beautiful!

Lent For Homemakers / Week One: Returning To The Heart

Lent is often pictured as a season of grand gestures—fasting, elaborate prayers, and long hours of reflection. But for homemakers, the spiritual rhythm of Lent can live in the small, ordinary acts that fill our days: folding laundry, tidying a counter, lighting a candle. It’s in these quiet, faithful routines that God often speaks most clearly to our hearts.

This year, I invite you to join me in a Lent designed specifically for homemakers—a Lent that meets us where we are, in our homes, our kitchens, and our hearts. Week One focuses on returning to the heart: interior examination, repentance, and small acts of obedience. Each day pairs a scripture, a quote, a simple homemaking act, an intentional encounter with God, and a journaling prompt to help guide your reflection.

Light one candle on Sunday evening and allow these practices to center you as you move through your week. Here is your schedule for the first week.

✝ WEEK ONE — Returning To The Heart
Theme: Interior Examination, Repentance, Small Obediences
Light one candle Sunday evening.
Guiding voices:
Augustine of Hippo, Mother Teresa
Theme prayer: Search me, O God.
Diffuser Blend: Returning to the Heart Diffuser Blend
Theme: Interior examination, small acts of obedience
Essential Oils:
3 drops Lavender (calm, focus)
2 drops Lemon (clarity, cleansing)
1 drop Rosemary (mental alertness, reflection)
Notes: Bright and gentle, supporting daily homemaking tasks with intentionality and prayer.

❊ Sunday — Welcoming the Week
Scripture: Psalm 51:10
Quote: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
Homemaking Act: Straighten one area that feels cluttered.
Intentional Encounter: Pray for God to examine your heart alongside your home.
Journal Prompt: Where do I feel most cluttered, inside and outside?

❊ Monday - Secret Prayer
Scripture: Matthew 6:6
Quote: “Pray in secret; your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Homemaking Act: Fold a basket of laundry slowly, offering each piece to God.
Intentional Encounter: Five minutes of silent prayer while sitting with the folded clothes.
Journal Prompt: Where do I seek recognition instead of serving quietly?

❊ Tuesday - Guarding The Heart
Scripture: Proverbs 4:23
Quote: “Above all else, guard your heart.”
Homemaking Act: Clear a counter or table where papers, keys, or items accumulate.
Intentional Encounter: Pray for clarity in your thoughts and decisions.
Journal Prompt: What distractions are keeping my heart from God?

❊ Wednesday - Interior Examination
Scripture: Psalm 139:23–24
Quote: “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
Homemaking Act: Tidy one personal space — your bedside table, desk, or prayer corner.
Intentional Encounter: Read Psalm 139 slowly, aloud if possible.
Journal Prompt: What does God want to reveal about my interior life today?

❊ Thursday - Humility in Action
Scripture: Micah 6:8
Quote: “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.”
Homemaking Act: Write a note of encouragement to a family member or friend.
Intentional Encounter: Offer a short prayer for the person as you place the note.
Journal Prompt: Where in my home or family life could I practice humility today?

❊ Friday - Quiet Service
Scripture: 1 John 3:18
Quote: “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Homemaking Act: Do a small hidden act of service — refill soap, water a plant, wipe a counter without comment.
Intentional Encounter: Take five minutes to reflect on God’s love in your life.
Journal Prompt: How can I serve quietly and sincerely today?

❊ Saturday - Stillness
Scripture: Psalm 46:10
Quote: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Homemaking Act: Light a candle and spend five minutes straightening one room or corner.
Intentional Encounter: Sit quietly before the candle, focusing on God’s presence.
Journal Prompt: How does stillness feel in my home? What did I notice about God today?

As we enter this first week of Lent, may these simple practices help you return to your heart and to the God who quietly meets us in the ordinary moments of our days. Small acts, faithfully done, have the power to transform both our homes and our hearts.

Let’s walk together this week, offering our homes, our hands, and our hearts to God. 

If you don't mind, could you take a few minutes to participate in my poll? 

Thank you!

Journey Into the Desert: At the Threshold of a Homemaker’s Lent

There is a way to enter Lent without leaving your kitchen.

There is a way to walk into the wilderness while still packing lunches, folding laundry, and answering the thousand small needs of a household.

For homemakers, the desert does not look like silence in a monastery.
It looks like choosing gentleness at 4:30 p.m.
It looks like fasting from noise when the house is loud.
It looks like blessing when irritation rises like heat.

Lent is not an escape from ordinary life.

It is an invitation to meet God inside it.

As we step through the desert threshold together, these first days after Ash Wednesday set the tone. Not with dramatic vows — but with small, deliberate choosing.

Below is your guide for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — the quiet beginning of this season.

❊ THE DESERT THRESHOLD

Thursday — Entering the Wilderness: Choose Life
Scripture: Book of Deuteronomy 30:19–20
Quote: “Choose life.”
The desert asks for decisions.

Not dramatic vows. Small ones.

Will I respond gently?
Will I speak blessing?
Will I choose patience when irritation rises like heat?

Lent is not about grand gestures.
It is about daily choosing.

Homemaking Act

Prepare a simple meal with intention. As you stir or season, pray for each person who will eat.

Intentional Experience

Take a short walk outdoors. Notice one living thing — a tree, a bird, even winter grass — and thank God for sustaining life.

Journal Prompt

What small daily choice would change the atmosphere of my home?
What noise fills my days unnecessarily?
What am I afraid to face in stillness?

Friday — Choosing the Narrow Way: The Fast That Frees
Scripture: Book of Isaiah 58:6–11
Quote: “Is not this the fast that I choose…?”
True fasting loosens what binds.

Today we ask:
What in my homemaking is driven by pride?
By comparison?
By the need to appear capable?

God desires mercy more than performance.

Homemaking Act

Give something away — food, clothing, money, or time. Let your fast become someone else’s relief.

Intentional Experience

Fast from one comfort today (sugar, scrolling, noise). When you feel the lack, pray for someone who is lacking far more.

Journal Prompt

What invisible chains do I carry in my home life?
Where is God asking me to love more sacrificially?
Where is God asking for hidden sacrifice?
Who needs my intercession?

Saturday — The Quiet Preparation: Establishing Holy Rhythms
Scripture: Gospel of Luke 5:27–32
Quote: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Before the First Sunday arrives, we prepare our inner rooms.

Saturday is for hidden work.
For small obediences.
For tidying corners both visible and invisible.

We do not begin Lent polished.
We begin invited.

Homemaking Act

Prepare a prayer corner in your home that you return to daily during this season — an intentional space to meet with the Lord.

Intentional Experience

Light a single candle at dusk. Sit with its flame and say, slowly:
“Jesus, call me deeper.”

Write out your Lenten intentions for the coming weeks.

Journal Prompts (Choose One)

Where do I resist being called? What would it mean to answer freely?
What do I long for this Lent?
What needs resurrection in my homemaking?
What do I long for this Lent?

Preparing for the First Sunday of Lent
On Saturday evening, prepare a small place where you will light a candle each Sunday of Lent — perhaps on your dining table or prayer corner.

This candle will mark the weeks.
It will grow shorter.
So will our striving, and deeper will grow our longing.

Tomorrow, we enter Week One.

The desert is not empty.
It is inhabited by God.

❊ A GENTLE INVITATION
If you are a homemaker who has ever felt that Lent belonged to “more spiritual” women — women with uninterrupted quiet time, women whose ministry is visible — this season is for you.

Your sink can become an altar.
Your table can become a place of intercession.
Your hidden obedience can become holy ground.

This Lent, let us choose life in the small places.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to:

- Bookmark this post and return to it over the next three days.
- Create your prayer corner before Sunday.
- Share in the comments one small choice you are making this week.
- Send this to another homemaker who might need permission to enter the wilderness right where she is.

We begin not polished.

We begin invited.

And we walk into the desert together.

❊

Why Lent Matters for the Homemaker:Finding Holiness in the Hidden Work of Home

There is a way to keep Lent in a kitchen.
There is a way to repent while folding laundry.
There is a way to fast while stirring soup.
There is a way to walk toward the Cross without ever leaving your home.

For years, I subconsciously believed Lent belonged to people with more “obvious” spiritual lives — missionaries, monks, pastors, women leading Bible studies. It felt structured for people whose days contained visible ministry.

But what about the woman whose ministry is largely unseen?
What about the woman whose sanctuary is the laundry room?
Whose liturgy is repetition?
Whose offering is consistency?
Lent matters for her.
Lent matters for the homemaker.

❊ THE HIDDEN YEARS OF CHRIST
Before Christ preached.
Before miracles.
Before crowds.

There were thirty hidden years. Thirty years of ordinary life, of work, of meals, of routine, of obedience that no one applauded.

The hidden life is not second-tier spirituality. It is formation ground.

If most of Jesus’ earthly life was lived quietly, then perhaps our quiet lives are not spiritually inferior — perhaps they are sacred.

This changes everything.

❊ LENT IS NOT PERFORMANCE
Lent is not aesthetic minimalism.
It is not proving devotion.
It is not creating an impressive spiritual routine.

Lent is return.

“Return to me with all your heart.” (Joel 2:12)

For the homemaker, return happens in small decisions:

Choosing patience instead of irritation.
Offering a chore instead of resenting it.
Turning off noise and entering silence.
Cleaning a space as if preparing a temple.
The home becomes the wilderness.

The kitchen sink becomes the altar.

The repetition becomes prayer.

❊ GOD WALKS AMONG THE POTS AND PANS

“God walks among the pots and pans.” 

- TERESA OF AVILA

This quote has always steadied me. It means nothing in our homes is spiritually neutral. The folding of towels, the wiping of counters, the sweeping of floors. These are not distractions from spiritual life. They are the place where it unfolds.

Lent does not require abandoning our vocation , it invites us to inhabit it more deeply.

❊ THE DESERT IN THE DOMESTIC
When we think of Lent, we imagine desert landscapes. But the homemaker’s desert is quieter.  

It is the monotony that tempts resentment.
It is the fatigue that tempts self-pity.
It is the invisibility that tempts comparison.

The desert is not the absence of noise — it is the confrontation of the heart. And in the home, our hearts are exposed daily.

How we respond to interruptions.
How we speak when we are tired.
How we carry unseen sacrifice.

Lent simply shines a light on what was already there.

❊ A DIFFERENT KIND OF FASTING
Perhaps your fast this year is not dramatic, perhaps it is;
Fasting from complaint.

Fasting from rushing.
Fasting from proving.
Fasting from internal comparison.

Perhaps your feast is:
Silence before sunrise.
Lighting a candle on Sunday evenings.
Reading Scripture at the kitchen table.
Offering each task with the words, “For You, Lord.”

Small things.

Hidden things.

Holy things.

❊ WHY THIS MATTERS
Because the home shapes souls.

Because children absorb atmosphere.
Because marriages are strengthened by quiet faithfulness.
Because your interior life spills into every room.

Lent matters for the homemaker because the homemaker sets the spiritual climate of the home — not through control, but through presence.

When your heart returns to Christ, your home feels it.
When your rhythms slow, your household breathes easier.
When you consecrate your ordinary work, the walls themselves seem steadier.

❊ A GENTLE INVITATION
Beginning today, throughout March and into April , I am walking through Lent slowly.

Not with intensity.

Not with spectacle.

But with intention.

I am creating a small prayer space, lighting a candle each Sunday, offering my daily work as worship and entering silence when I can.

If you are a homemaker, I invite you to join me.

We will not leave our homes to find holiness. We will discover that holiness has been waiting for us there all along.

❊ REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Where do I believe my vocation is “less spiritual” than others?

- What part of my daily work do I most resist?

- What would it look like to treat my home as holy ground this Lent?

- What small, sustainable rhythm can I begin this week?

Following is a small devotional for today, Ash Wednesday and tomorrow we will step gently into what I’m calling The Desert Threshold — the quiet days after Ash Wednesday where we clear space, establish rhythm, and prepare our hearts before the deeper work begins. On Friday of each week I'll post the readings, acts of service and reflections for the upcoming week.

Move slowly.

Return gently.

Christ is already present in your kitchen.

❊ LENT FOR HOMEMAKERS 
A Forty-Day Pilgrimage Through the Hidden Work of Love

Move slowly.
Miss a day if needed.
Return gently.

Christ is not measuring productivity.
He is forming your heart.

For today:

❊ ASH WEDNESDAY
Remember You Are Dust — And Deeply Loved

Scripture: Joel 2:12–13
Reading: Psalm 51

Quote: “Return to me with your whole heart.”

Ash is not condemnation. It is invitation. Today, we begin not with striving but with surrender. We admit our frailty. We admit our need. And then — we go home and cook dinner. There is something profoundly holy about receiving ashes and then chopping onions.

Homemaking Act: Clean your front door and pray protection over your home.

Intentional Encounter: Sit 10 minutes in silence holding soil or ashes.

Journal Prompts (Choose one)

- Where in my homemaking life do I feel my dust most deeply? Where do I need mercy?

- Where have I grown spiritually dull?

- What is God inviting me to return to?

- What false strength must I release?

And so, as we move through these forty days, remember: holiness is not hidden from God. It has never been about grandeur or public acknowledgment. It is found in the faithful turning toward Him in the quiet corners of our homes. Each dish washed, each towel folded, each whispered prayer is a step on this Lent-long pilgrimage. Let us return gently, consistently, and with hearts wide open, trusting that in our ordinary work, Christ is quietly being formed in us—and through us, His presence fills our homes.

I'll meet you here tomorrow.

❊

I apologize for the double post today. What I am sharing here is a very personal work I've been quietly creating over the past several weeks, originally for myself. But then as I was reading through it this morning, I felt the Holy Spirit gently nudge me to share it here with you. If it blesses even one other person, then I am blessed!  And one final note, the 40 Things in 40 Days Decluttering Challenge begins today! Let's make room!

My Personal Ten Commandments: A Guide to Intentional Living

“We do not think our way into a new kind of living, 
we live our way into a new kind of thinking.”

- RICHARD ROHR

Life has a way of reminding us—sometimes gently, sometimes with a jolt—what really matters. Recently, I found myself in the hospital, worried that I might be having a stroke. After tests and anxious hours, the diagnosis came: an eye stroke, brought on by stress and a nervous system that was thrown out of sync. I wasn’t physically broken beyond repair, but I realized I had been spiritually and emotionally off balance.

That experience became a turning point. I asked myself: How do I want to live my life from here on out? What habits, rhythms, and practices would truly honor my body, my mind, and my soul?

From that reflection, I wrote what I now call MY PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS—a practical guide to living fully, intentionally, and with grace.

❊ MY PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Abide Daily in God’s Presence
Begin each day with prayer, breath, or lectio divina; remember that God walks with you in every task, large or small.

Life can feel busy, but when we pause to center ourselves, we notice God in every moment—from folding laundry to answering emails.

2. Honor the Rhythm of Work and Rest
Keep Sabbath sacred; balance activity with stillness. Let Shabbat, daily pauses, and retreats refresh your soul.

Our bodies and souls need regular cycles of rest. Sabbath, pauses, and retreats renew us.

3. Pray Over Your Home and Hearth
Bless your living spaces, your meals, and your family; let your home reflect sacred care, warmth, and hospitality.

A home is more than walls—it’s a space for blessing, nourishment, and care. Prayer brings sacredness into everyday life.

4. Live Seasonally and Liturgically
Celebrate creation and the Church calendar; notice the changing seasons, feasts, and rhythms of life.

Nature and the Church calendar offer natural rhythms. Marking seasons and feasts helps us stay grounded and thankful.

5. Grow in Gratitude and Joy
Name blessings daily; cultivate wonder in ordinary moments, from morning light to a shared meal.

Life is full of small blessings. Naming them cultivates joy and wonder in ordinary moments.

6. Nurture Your Body as a Temple
Hydrate, breathe, rest, move, and eat mindfully; honor your physical needs as part of spiritual life.

Physical care is spiritual care. Mindful movement, rest, and nourishment honor the gift of your body.

7. Engage in Continuous Reflection
Keep weekly, monthly, and annual check-ins; journal insights, lessons, and intentions for growth.

Regular reflection helps us track growth, recognize lessons, and make intentional choices.

8. Serve with Love and Generosity
Offer time, attention, and care to others; let small acts of kindness be your daily worship.

Service is an expression of faith in action. Even small acts of kindness have great power.

9. Embrace Silence, Solitude, and Wonder
Allow space for contemplation, creativity, and listening; cultivate an inner sanctuary of peace.

Creating inner space allows contemplation, creativity, and connection to God.

10. Live Intentionally and Authentically
Let your actions, habits, and words reflect your deepest values; choose what aligns with your vocation, family, and God’s calling on your life.

Aligning our choices with values and vocation gives life purpose and coherence.

❊ HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS
You can craft your own life-guiding principles using these steps:

❊ Reflect on Your Life: Consider what matters most to you—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Identify habits or patterns that bring you joy, peace, or purpose.

❊ Write Your Commandments: Create 5–10 short statements that capture your core values and practices. These are your guiding principles for daily life.

❊ Explain Each One: Add a sentence or two explaining why each is important and how you practice it.

❊ Keep Them Visible: Post them somewhere you will see every day—on your fridge, in a journal, or on your phone.

❊ Review Regularly: Life changes, so revisit your commandments weekly, monthly, or annually. Adjust them as your growth and circumstances evolve.

That hospital experience was a wake-up call. It reminded me that life is too precious to live distracted, stressed, or unaligned. Now, every breath, every prayer, and every small act of care feels like a step toward a life fully lived.

Start Today: Take a few quiet moments, reflect on what matters most to you, and begin writing your own Personal Ten Commandments. Share your journey, and let them guide you toward a life of intention, joy, and peace.

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Breath Prayer For Homemakers: A Simple Way To Pray Over Your Home

There’s something sacred about the everyday rhythms of home—the smell of fresh bread, the quiet sweep of sunlight across the floor, the gentle unfolding of a day filled with caring, creating, and tending. As homemakers, our work might look ordinary on the surface, but it carries weight, purpose, and love. And one of the simplest ways to bring God into that space is through breath prayer.

❊ WHAT IS BREATH PRAYER?

Breath prayer is a short, simple prayer that matches the rhythm of your breathing. It’s a quiet, portable way to pause, breathe, and invite God into your day—into your home, your tasks, and your heart. Unlike long prayers, this practice can be woven seamlessly into your routines: while folding laundry, washing dishes, or sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of tea.

❊ PRAYING OVER OUR HOMES AND WORK

Our homes are more than walls and furniture—they are spaces filled with life, relationships, and work that matters. Praying over our homes isn’t just about asking for protection or blessing; it’s about recognizing that the small, seemingly ordinary everyday acts of care—cooking, cleaning, organizing, creating—are sacred. Breath prayer helps us tether our hearts to God in these moments, turning ordinary work into acts of devotion.

❊ HOW TO BEGIN

Choose Your Prayer

Select a short phrase that speaks to your heart, your home, or your vocation. Examples include:

“Lord, fill this home with peace.”

“Jesus, guide my hands today.”

“Holy Spirit, be here.”

Settle Into Your Breath
Take a deep inhale, letting your lungs fill slowly, and then exhale gently. Allow your body to soften—relax shoulders, jaw, and mind.

Sync Words with Your Breath 
As you inhale, silently say the first part of your prayer; as you exhale, say the second part. For example:

Inhale: “Lord”

Exhale: “fill this home with peace.”

Repeat and Focus
Continue this rhythm for a few minutes or as long as it feels natural. If your mind wanders, gently return to your breath and prayer.

❊ WHY BREATH PRAYER MATTERS FOR HOMEMAKERS

By tying prayer to our breath and daily work, we’re reminded that God is present in every corner of our homes and every task we undertake. Breath prayer slows our hearts, clears our minds, and turns ordinary moments into invitations to welcome God into our homemaking. It’s a quiet, constant reminder that our work—though often unseen—is meaningful and blessed.

❊ A GENTLE TIP FOR BEGINNERS

Start small: one to three minutes is plenty. You don’t need a quiet room or special equipment, though both can be helpful. And remember, there’s no perfect way to pray this way—your prayer is yours, and it’s beautiful exactly as it is.

In the midst of laundry, cooking, or a simple cup of tea, breath prayer helps us pause, center, and offer our homes, hearts, and hands back to God. It reminds us that every small act in our homes can be a prayer in itself—a living, breathing devotion.

❊ 5 BREATH PRAYERS FOR HOMEMAKERS

If you’re new to breath prayer, these simple phrases are a great place to start. Choose one that resonates with you, or rotate them throughout the week as you move through your daily homemaking tasks.

1. A gentle reminder to invite calm and harmony into every room.

Inhale: “Lord”

Exhale: “fill this home with peace.”


2. Perfect while cooking, cleaning, or organizing - turning your work into worship.

Inhale: “Jesus”


Exhale: “guide my hands today."

3. A simple way to call God's presence into your home in any moment.

Inhale: “Holy Spirit”

Exhale: “be here.”


4. A breath of gratitude for the people, walls and rhythms of your home.

Inhale: “Thank You”

Exhale: “for this space.”


5. A prayer for patience, kindness and intentional care in your daily tasks and relationships.
Inhale: “Lord”

Exhale: “help me love well.”


Try pairing these prayers with simple actions—folding laundry, washing dishes, or even watering plants. Over time, you’ll find that your home and your heart become more aligned with peace, gratitude, and purpose.

I encourage you to choose one prayer this week and let it anchor your morning. On days when the sink is piled with dishes and the laundry seems endless, this simple rhythm steadies me.