Laundry {Five Minute Friday}

Just the word can evoke a groan.

But why?

Burying my nose in clean laundry and breathing deeply. And the cozy softness when it’s fresh from the dryer. Or the outdoorsiness of laundry dried on the clothesline. Clean clothes are a gift. Owning clothes is a gift. Using a washing machine instead of a scrub board or washing my laundry in a river. Gifts, all of them. Yet, I groan at laundry. It’s a never ending cycle. I think that’s the thing sometimes. I expect to do things and have them done. Hmmm, I wonder why? There’s hardly a housewife task that works that way. These tasks we do and do and do again. Yet, gifts. Maybe, it’s all in the perspective.

Clean laundry=wonderful. Dirty laundry…not so much.

Dirty laundry is just, well, dirty, sometimes stinky, not inviting, grubby, sticky, soiled, piled, not always so fun to sort through.

And then there’s the metaphor of dirty laundry. Sorting through our dirty laundry. The things in our lives that aren’t lovely, aren’t fresh, are ugly or hurtful. Shame or sin. Yet, this dirty laundry in my life? Jesus takes it for me. He sorts through the rubbish gladly. He cleans it for me. He removes the stains. He makes it white as snow. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. No presoak, no scrubbing, no oxi-clean. No matter how stained or stuck together. And every time I end up with dirty laundry plaguing me again, He gladly takes it when I turn to him and ask. He’s waiting to clean that laundry for me. He wants to. He’s wanting me to repent and bring it all to Him, so He can refresh me and relieve me of the burden. Too often, I will scrub away in vain, trying to remove the stain, but only spreading it instead. And Jesus is watching and waiting. He doesn’t need a Magic Eraser. He just needs me to hand it over. I’m a slow learner and at times it would appear that I must like to scrub away at filth and grime.

I fall to my knees in thankfulness. These mountains of dirty laundry? The one, a physical blessing, because we are clothed and bathed and we own more than enough clothes and towels and bedding. The other, swept away in the Tide of His forgiveness and replaced with sparkling shine! Hallelujah!!