All of us have chores that we don’t mind doing, and some that we wish we never had to do again. For me, doing the laundry is one of the chores that fall into the latter category. I actually don’t mind getting the laundry started – after all, throwing the clothes into the washer and then into the dryer isn’t that difficult, but once the dryer buzzer goes off, I’ll come up with all kinds of excuses not to finish the job. This really isn’t a good idea, since eventually I always have to do it, but I avoid it like most people avoid the dentist.
My apathy towards folding our clean clothes has some interesting consequences. One of them is that I’m often forced to dry clothes a second time since they’re wrinkled by the time I get to them. The other is that when it comes time to actually prepare the clothes for our dresser drawers, I’m apathetic about folding them in a proper and organized way. Instead, I’m much more likely to want to hurry through the process, so I can get back to something, ANYTHING, that I enjoy more.
However, several times as I’ve been tempted to speed through the folding process, I’ve been forced to slow down. The reason for this is that I’ve been reminded that no longer are the clothes I’m folding only my own. Instead my wonderful husband’s clothes are also being prepared by my hasty hands and I’m conscious of the fact that one of the ways that I show him that I love him is through the time and energy that I spend doing things for him. If I do less than my best, what is that saying about the quality of my care and concern for my beloved? (A quick disclaimer – my sweet husband would probably never criticize even if I left the clothes in a big heap. However, his graciousness is not an excuse for my carelessness. :-))
As I’ve been prompted to take more time doing the chore I’m not fond of, I’m reminded that I owe the same commitment of care to Christ. After all, how often do I go about doing things for Him in a half-hearted manner? Do I read my Bible just to get it done or because I’m delighting in the opportunity to spend time with Him? If He puts a special call on my heart to love someone who’s not my favorite, do I do so with grudging acceptance of the task, or do I look at it as a chance to display my love for Him and His love for others? Even the mundane things that God calls me to deserve my best, because it is Him that I’m doing it for.
I never thought that the laundry room would be a place that I could learn to love my husband more. I certainly never thought it would teach me about loving Christ. However, I’m grateful that God uses even the simple things to teach the profundity of Him.