It’s laundry day.
How do I know that? Because 3 out of 4 of us have no clean underwear. Was that too much information?
Summer is an endless blur of motion and there are things that get left behind. Laundry is one of them. I just don’t have the time, ability or motivation to stay home long enough to do it. And by the time evening rolls around, there is other work to be done. Somehow, it just gets ignored.
The bottom line is… I’ll get to it when it works for me. If and when it’s convenient.
You know what hit me today? That can sometimes be how we view our relationship with God. Agree? I wonder if any of these statements ring true to you:
- God, I have a long to-do list and once that is knocked out… I’m all yours.
- I’m really doing ok, so I’ll let you know when I need your help again.
- The kids are a distraction since they’re home for the summer, we’ll connect again in August. Promise!
- I can’t even pull my grocery list together much less a prayer right now.
How would we feel if those were the responses we heard from our spouses, our kids or our friends? What if we were constantly put at the bottom of their list? I guarantee we’d feel pretty worthless and undervalued.
Know what, though… We do that exact thing to the Creator of the earth all the time.
Rather than put Him at the top of the list… rather than allow Him to be the first one we greet when our eyes open… rather than connect with Him regularly throughout the day…
… We treat Him like our laundry.
But despite the way we act towards Him, He is patient and kind and gives us grace… day after day after day. While we might snap, God patiently endures.
If God treated us like we treated Him…we wouldn’t stand a chance. But, when we neglect God, showing Him great disrespect, He is still patient with us. The amazing thing is that He is so forgiving and willing to draw us back into a genuine and healthy relationship with Him.
Mind-blowing.
Rather than retribution (which is often OUR human reaction to neglect), God offers us grace. And that grace is unending and undeserved.
By doing so, He provides the perfect example of what He calls us to be like in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
I may never look at laundry the same way…
Wow… great analogy and far too true!! Think I will fold that laundry later and go hang out w/ God for a while. THanks for the reminder!!
I so get this and love how God reveals himself in your daily grind. I too am feeling overwhelmed with launry and list (been on vacation 2 weeks!) Reading this I realize like Bewitched ( showing my age) I want everything to be done, cleaned, restored in a blink. But looking at laundry, tons of it, I am realizing it still has to be put away on piece at a time. I want God to fix all of me in a blink. Thanks for reminding me who my God is, He is patient, and kind and little by little He is changing me.
I agree! We do want restoration… NOW! It’s a daily process and one that never seems to end. Thanks for your response!
Regardless of your encouraging and challenging post, I will still look at laundry the same way -as my husband’s job!!! 🙂 Hmmm, interesting, I feel the spiritual leadership of our family is his job as well! Could it be the two go hand in hand?! HeeHee!! Unfortunately, he does laundry more often than he sits in God’s word. I did hear that Beth’s husband doesn’t always to go church, certainly doesn’t spend much time in the word, etc, and she has long since quit nagging and hinting. She just prays for him and allows him to be the spiritual leader and major decision maker of her family trusting God to work the details. That gives me hope! I need to do that! Less nagging more praying and trusting!! I know Dave loves God and wants to live for him and in his will, but it’s hard to have clean underwear (live in God’s will) when you don’t do the wash (spend time in God’s presence!) Thanks for the provoking thoughts! I’m pretty sure you wanted me to see the plank in my own eye before I saw the splinter in my husband’s but that’s a reflection for another time. I’m soooo thrilled to be in God’s word daily and thoughtful of his presence for much of the day! Hallelujah!!! He is soooo awesome! Why do I ever dilly-dally through a day without him!!!? I must be a slow learner!!!
L-Train… you bring so much richness to my entries. You’re my blog Travis. Thanks, sister!