Week 43 2013 Doing Laundry

My wife is diligent in her pursuit to keep us in clean clothing.  I often find it alarming how much dirty laundry the two of us produce, as long as how often it needs attention.  Even though our motorhome has hookups for a washer and dryer, we have chosen to utilize that space for inside storage, a commodity in short supply when living in a recreational vehicle.  Thus, she carries our dirty clothes to the Laundromat located in the RV park where we stay.  This also involves the use of several quarters obtained in various locations under many different circumstances.  She has a special container for quarters.  Even though I save change, quarters are off limits with all of them going into her quarter jar.

What does this have to do with anything?  Aside from my deep appreciation, her pursuit of cleanliness is a clear picture of what each of us should be engaged in with our lives.  Instead of cleaning up our lives and the messes we make, we often look for ways to cover it up or we continue to revel in the filth, much like putting clean clothes over dirty ones, or simple wearing the dirty ones over and over again.  Most civilized people would not dream of wearing dirty clothing or covering it up with clean clothing, unless there was no other choice.  Fortunately, there is another option.  We can clean up our act.  The choice is ours, live dirty or live clean.  If we choose the clean option, it will take diligence.  When we discover filth, it will take work to remove it.  However, the end result is worth the work.  And, we must be aware that, just as my wife will sometimes need to wash a piece of clothing more than once to get it clean, we may to work harder on some stains in our lives.  Furthermore, it may take a lot of preparation, sorting through the various aspects and dealing with each accordingly.  Much like our laundry, this process never ends.  If we are honest, we will always find areas of our lives that need cleansing.

There is one major difference in these two scenarios.  My wife works alone and really does an amazing job.  On the other hand, when attempting to clean up and cleanse my life, I know that I cannot do it alone.  The job is too big.  I need help.  Fortunately, help is available!  I am surrounded by friends and family, as well as my Christian family.  These are all useful and generally quite willing to help.  But the greatest asset any of us can possibly have in cleaning up our act is the One who is responsible for our existence.  God provides aide in this most important part of our lives.  In fact, there are stains that only He can handle.  Welcome to laundry day!