Cross about mother taking time to find shoe cleaner (7)
I believe the answer is:
doormat
'shoe cleaner' is the definition.
(you might clean your shoes on a doormat)
'cross about mother taking time' is the wordplay.
'cross' becomes 'rood' (term for a crucifix**).
'about' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'mother' becomes 'ma' (ma is a kind of mother).
'taking' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'time' becomes 't'.
'rood' written backwards gives 'door'.
'door'+'ma'+'t'='DOORMAT'
'to find' is the link.
(Other definitions for doormat that I've seen before include "wimp" , "seen walking in?" , "Submissive person; shoe cleaner" , "Drudge" , "Mad root (anag.)" .)