A few hours before I left for a weekend church retreat, I sent final bunny-sitting instructions to my parents, who had agreed to stop by my condo while I was away. After I turned off lights in the hallway and tucked a few extra pieces of parsley into my rabbit’s cage, I ran back upstairs and did one last walk-through of my one-bedroom unit, trying to see the space through a visitor’s eyes.
The kitchen? Clean.
The living room? Ready for guests.
My bedroom?
I closed the door.
By the time I rolled my suitcase outside, I’d forgotten all about the laundry I’d left on my bed and the dresser I hadn’t had time to declutter. It wasn’t until we were midway through our first message at the retreat that the Lord metaphorically reopened the door to my bedroom and asked me to take another look at what was inside.
As the speaker taught through Genesis 1, I wrote down a question that I knew I’d need to reflect on later: Am I ruling my home, or is it ruling me?
The Privilege of Bearing His Image
The four messages of our church retreat were intended to tell the full story of Scripture. Going into the weekend, I had asked the Lord to make even the most familiar truths feel fresh again and for humility to faithfully apply what was taught from God’s Word.
As we began the first night, I was reminded that it doesn’t matter how many times we’ve heard the creation narrative. We’ll never outgrow our need to come back to Genesis 1; it’s always relevant to our lives.
Part of the speaker’s message addressed Genesis 1:26. As you read that verse below, think of what you already know about the days of creation, and consider how this day was different than it had been for all the living creatures God had fashioned in the days prior.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
“They will rule” is one of the differences. In his book Every Good Endeavor, Timothy Keller shares why it stands out:
Only man is set apart and given a job description, “an office (1:26b, 28b; 2:19; cf. Psl. 8:4–8; James 3:7). . .” In other words, while the plants and animals are called to simply “teem” and “reproduce,” only humans are explicitly given a job. They are called to “subdue” and “have dominion,” or rule the earth.1
This mandate to rule comes after the part of Genesis 1:26 where God says, “Let us make man in our image.” Humanity being made in the image of God is one of the most fundamental aspects not only in Genesis but throughout all of Scripture. For humans to be made like God means that God can communicate Himself to us.
Although humans are imperfect and finite, we share communicable attributes such as His love, kindness, and wisdom. The consequence of bearing God’s image means that we now have a responsibility to represent Him on earth, which includes stewarding and governing creation.
Ruling over creation isn’t what makes someone an image-bearer. God made humans in His image first, which means our identity and worth came before our function. But it’s because we’ve been made in the image of God that we’ve been entrusted with meaningful responsibility—some of which hits a whole lot closer to home than we often realize.
Created to Cultivate
On night one of the retreat, the speaker addressed the room, which was filled with single adults in their twenties and thirties—individuals whose calendars and everyday lives are overscheduled with graduate classes, night shifts, endless meetings, ministry opportunities, and social obligations.
“Are you ruling your home? Are you ruling over your body and your time?” he asked.
As we moved into breakout groups, it was clear that the questions resonated with the audience, but I thought of how easy it is to avoid directly answering them with a response that sounds something like:
- “I mean, I’m a pretty organized person.”
- “Mostly—I feel like I’m pretty Type A.”
- “I never let it get that bad.”
- “Right now, I have other responsibilities that are more important.”
Each excuse has an element of truth but avoids taking direct responsibility. It’s not a stretch to imagine each one whispered in the same tone the serpent used with Eve.
If I was to add my own to the mix, it would be, “No one will ever see.” In this season, I live by myself, and I don’t generally invite guests beyond my living room. But the Lord knows what’s behind every corner. How would you feel if He opened the doors that you’ve closed to visitors, walked inside, and sat across from you? What would you want Him to see . . . or not see?
He already knows the state of your heart and your home. A first step you may need to take even now is to pause and pray—maybe even kneel in the places where you’ve abdicated responsibility in the past. Confess where you’ve been passive in managing the areas He’s called you to steward, and ask the Lord to help you know what small step of obedience you can do today to take back your space.
The Ripple Effect of an Ordered Home
Before the Lord met Adam and Eve in the garden, He “got dirt under His fingernails,” Timothy Keller used to say. The Creator developed and managed His own creation Himself before He ever created people who would follow His example.
Genesis 2:8 says, “The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed.” Verse 15 adds that the man was placed “in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”
Think about where God has placed you. Your home may be rented or paid off, a studio apartment or a house on an acreage. Don’t think about where you hope to live someday or the circumstances that will make it easier to manage your space in the future. Consider where the Lord, in His sovereignty and kindness, has allowed you to live right now.
He doesn’t need every closet to be organized or every counter to sparkle for you to be considered His image-bearer—you’ve already been given that status. But as you take an active role in caring for the place He’s given you, you reflect more of His character. Stepping into the role God has given you to steward your home not only honors Him, it positions you to experience the goodness He’s woven into obedience.
If you’re not ruling your home, it’s ruling you. What the Lord intended to be a place of blessing can start to feel like a burden, draining you rather than offering the refuge and restoration He designed. Consider:
- What areas of your home most consistently feel unmanageable and why?
- Is there anything in your space that is unintentionally hindering hospitality, rest, or joy?
- In what ways has bringing order in the past helped you better love those around you?
- What five-minute step could you do right now to help cultivate peace tomorrow?
- What is one small habit you could build into your daily rhythm to establish a sense of purpose within your home over time?
As you bring order to chaos—even in small ways—you create room. Room to breathe. Room to serve. Room to listen. Room to welcome others into your life, even if you still never invite them to peek into your closets.
In the Christian life, you may be used to expecting the fruit of faithfulness to come as a future reward. But in caring for your home, it often comes sooner. An orderly space helps
- Quiet an anxious mind.
- Create margin for rest.
- Make you less irritable.
- Allow you to be more present—with God and with others.
The way you steward your home overflows into your relationships before you even invite guests in. When you rule your home with intentionality and purpose, you’re less likely to run the rest of your life with an undercurrent of stress and distraction. Those closest to you—your spouse, your roommates, your kids, your friends, and your neighbors—feel it.
A home marked by order, grace, and intention becomes a kind of sanctuary, not just for you but for others. As you reflect the character of a God who tends to His creation and also welcomes them into His rest, you invite others to experience Him as well.
Start Tending Today
The Sunday I returned home from the retreat and rolled my suitcase back inside, I was met with the usual problems that required attention: the dead tulips in my living room needed to be tossed. The laundry on my bed was right where I’d left it. The pet cage in my kitchen had to be cleaned—and while I’d like to say that I rule over my pet rabbit, my family often jokes that she is the one running my household.
But it’s in the places God has put us today that we've been given the opportunity to echo David in Psalm 8 and say,
LORD, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty. . . .
When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,
what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man that you look after him?
You made him little less than God
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet. (vv. 1, 3–6)
David knew Genesis 1 when he wrote those words, but he didn’t know Jesus would one day reign with absolute dominion—Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the last Adam, who would rule with perfect humility, steward with compassion, and serve with joy.
He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet. (Ephesians 1:20–22)
Because of Jesus, we’re restored to a right relationship with the One whose image we bear (Col. 1:19–20). Because of Jesus, we have the privilege of working hard today, knowing we’ll soon be with Him in the home He’s preparing for us (John 14:2–3). And it’s because of Jesus we’re able to reflect His order, goodness, and glory through the ordinary stewardship of our everyday lives.
What space needs your attention today? Before you begin, offer it back to Jesus: All of this is Yours, Lord. May I bear Your image faithfully with what You’ve entrusted to me.
1 Timothy Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work (New York: Riverhead Books), 35.
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