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Monday, October 19, 2009

I Get To Do Laundry


This morning as I stood in front of my washing machine, taking clothes out to put in the dryer, I had a big smile on my face.

That's right. A smile.

Ok, ok, so I am not Pollyanna. I usually don't smile when I mess with the laundry. I usually look resigned, or sometimes even scowl. But this week I got an attitude adjustment when my washing machine went down in blaze of glory and a large puddle of water. I was worried we wouldn't be able to resuscitate it. Curt looked at comparable washers online and we were talking $900 to replace it.

I started praying. And, as silly as it sounds, I got other people to pray too.

I have been handling the whole "editing the book" thing pretty well-- decent attitude, not terrible stress. I was like the proverbial duck: looking calm gliding along the water, while frantically paddling underneath. But something about the washing machine going out was more than I could take. Remember the water that poured out of it? Well, my family used every towel in the house to soak up the gallons of water.

And then we had no way to wash them.

When I woke up the next morning and realized we had not a clean towel in the house, I just about cried. Seriously. It was the straw. I thought I might have a nervous breakdown over the washing machine. I thought to myself, "Who knew this would be the thing that tipped the scales?"

So I prayed more. I prayed that someone who knew about such things could come out right away. That that someone wouldn't pronounce the washer DOA and offer to haul it off. That he would tell me there was hope and a part on his truck that could bring it back to life.

And do you know, that's exactly what happened? Not only that but a friend called out of the blue and offered to come over and take my dirty nasty towels and wash them for me and bring them back-- soft and fluffy and folded. Normally I am one to turn down help of that nature but this time I said yes. And I hung up the phone and thanked God for prompting my friend to do that. Then I called her back and thanked her for being obedient enough to follow His prompting. I think a lot of times we feel prompted to do things like that and ignore it because we are busy or we think it sounds silly. I mean, she couldn't have known how much that meant to me at that particular moment! It was the difference between a nervous breakdown and a new outlook. She didn't know... but He did.

And so, this morning while I washed clothes with my working washing machine I smiled. Because I get to wash clothes. I get to gather up the dirty clothes my family generates by the truckload and put them in this wonderful, magic machine and have them come out clean and fresh smelling. It is a privilege, a gift.

Today I am washing clothes with joy. What ordinary task are you going to do today with joy? Look around with new eyes at what you get to do.
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10 comments:

Jodie Wolfe said...

This parallels Rachel's blog from Friday. We need to be open and receptive to those promptings from the Holy Spirit. I think the more we respond, the more we hear....

Pondering,
Pearls

valerie in TX said...

I can relate to your washing machine story....with my dishwasher. One day early last summer, I walked into my laundry room and stepped in a puddle of water. Because the washing machine was going at the time, I assumed that's where the water came from. But when we started moving things around and looking for the source, we discovered the water was actually coming UNDER THE WALL from my dishwasher! Great. I washed dishes by hand for about 4 months before we got it replaced. And let me tell you, I have never been so happy to load the dishwasher!! :)

Terri said...

I got to go grocery shopping today, after not quite being able to pay all the bills, and with a very limited budget of $40. But I came home with 12 lbs of chicken breast, 8 bags of frozen veggies, rice, grape jelly, tea, and more... all for only $30. I love how HE enables me to stretch our grocery dollars and still eat healthy. Blessings!

Judy said...

I get to walk across the yard to assist my mother as she ages gracefully with diminished mental abilities.

Cape Breton Girl for God said...

Thank you Marybeth a wonderful reminder of the things we take for granted every day:)

God bless you sister in Christ

Oh Dear said...

I get to clean up my kitchen from preparing 3 meals a day for my family.

Kelly said...

What a great story and a good lesson....what ended up being wrong with your washer?

Marybeth Whalen said...

The drain had to be replaced. The water wasn't draining so it was stuck-- hence all the water that poured out. It was a $300 repair but that's still much better than a new $900 washer!! Today we have a plumber here to replace our disposal. Sigh. "In this world you will have trouble" for sure.

Anonymous said...

I get to wash my dishes and sweep my kitchen. These may sound like mundane things, but I've just spent over 30 days doing absolutely nothing at dr's orders due to lung problems. I have to wear supplemental oxygen to get by from moment to moment, but PRAISE THE LORD I'm still here and I don't take everything for granted like I used to

Alyssa said...

you have no idea how much this post means to me!! I broke my wrist almost 2 weeks ago and had surgery about a week and a half ago. During this time i have really realized how much i miss doing those things that i used to dread each day. From moping to giving the kids baths to LAUNDRY to most of all, cooking three meals a day. As frustrating as this time is for me right now, i thank God for it, to show me the joys in all these things that i had been taking forgranted! thanks for the post!