It’s Time to Put Away Our Laundry
I live under the chronic delusion that I’m some sort of amazing multi-tasking home management guru. The truth is, I love to make checklists, chore charts, and logs, but doing the actual thing is a different story.
Case in point.
This is a picture of the foot railing of my bed. You can’t tell what it is because it is covered in clothing items. Each piece has a story. For example, there’s a shirt in there that I only wore once, but I dunno if it’s clean enough to go back in the closet or dirty enough to warrant a trip to Mt. Washmore.
And then there’s that dress that I’m not sure whether or not I can wash or perhaps it’s dry clean only?
How about my nightgown that I’ve worn a couple of times but only after a shower, so is it really dirty??
My jean jacket likes to hang out here because the weather in Texas is psychotic at best.
There happens to be a really cute little black skirt that’s just a little tight around the waist and probably should go to a new home, but I might someday be able to fit into it again, and so, alas, it too calls my bed railing home.
And that’s just my own clothes. My husband also has his own collection mixed in here, including several aromatic shirts that should have been thrown away 5 years ago.
Related Post: It’s Okay To Be Mary In A World Full Of Martha’s
The Laundry of Life
Today I made up my mind to do something about my impromptu clothesline. As I began to go through the mess on my bed, I found myself taking inventory of all the things I’ve allowed to hang out on the railing of my own life that also need to be sorted through.
- Certain relationships that were only meant for one season which now need to be put away for the next.
- Negative patterns of thinking that could do with a good wash in the Word and then hung in the Light to bleach out the stains of cynicism.
- Old perceptions I’ve outgrown and must be boxed up and sent away.
- Unhealed wounds that God has asked me to release to Him so that He could mend my heart and help me to iron out forgiveness.
- A belief system, although comfortable to the wearer, filled with the holes of superstition and unbiblical theology that need to be taken to the Master Tailor to be mended with the tender hand of grace.
- Painful experiences in desperate need to be shaken out and hung up like a coat in the closet of my testimony to be one day pulled out and shared with another soul walking down the same path I had once walked.
- Finally, anxiety and fear that have long needed to be thrown in the trash by the faith and confidence of who I am in Him.
I can’t reach forward to what God has for me, dragging my clothesline behind. Click To Tweet“…but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,”
Phil 3:13 NKJV
Putting the past behind me. And I can’t do that unless I let go of the things Jesus is asking me to. I can’t reach forward to what God has for me, dragging my clothesline behind.
I’m proud to say I’ve since hung up the clothes on my bed railing. It’s up to me to hang up everything else as well.
But I’m committed.
I’m determined.
I’m equipped.
And so are you, dear friend, reading this. Jesus has given us everything we need to succeed. His Spirit, His word, and each other.
If I’m in your neighborhood, I’m happy to come over and help fold.
Join the Conversation
Is laundry a struggle for you (literally or metaphorically)? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
About the Author
Katherine Grote makes her home in south Austin with her incredibly patient Hubby of almost 20 years, their 4 (slightly) feral children, who they affectionately call their Coconuts, an overly flatulate dog named Asa, and 3 psychotic cats . Their house is always full of stray kids and animals, laundry piles, copious amounts of coffee, and laughter. In addition to homeschooling and writing about lessons learned through life with the Coconuts, Katherine spends her time laughing at completely inappropriate moments, and engaging in random conversations with herself. She and her family are passionate about their faith, family, and community. And drinking lots of really good coffee. Follow her on Facebook (Katherine Wolff Grote) and visit her blog at conversationswithcoconuts.com.
Great analogy.
Thank you! Sometimes I think I learn more through everyday chores and life than sitting through a sermon.
I love this!! The illustration is powerful! I’m also a Texas girl, but I’m in the Northeast area. If I were closer, I’d let you help me get this pile of laundry folded and put away! 😂
Thank you! I would totally come help!
Your first paragraph describes me to a T! I finally stopped making checklists because I never followed them. I’m trying to own my scattered-ness. LOL
I’m glad to know I’m not alone! I’ve been trying to be more realistic about my shortcomings. Thanks for reading.
Katherine, I love this analogy because I typically can’t stand to have physical laundry laying around, but yet I have some emotional and relational laundry on my “bed railing” that I also don’t need to leave laying around. Thanks for the encouragement to take care of that. I’ll be featuring your post tomorrow at my blog for the Grace & Truth linkup!
Thank you so much! Four years ago God led us out of a cult-like and doctrinally unsound church. Over these last years He’s shown us His faithfulness as He’s gently reminded us to let go and trust Him. Thanks for reading and sharing.