We all have our moments and mine came staring into a washing machine.
Things had started frantically that day. The end of the month also happened to fall on the close of a work-week, so there were weekly reports and monthly reports due. On top of this, I received a phone call that a delivery man was across town trying to unload two pallets of items I didn’t know I was receiving into an already full storage unit. And, it just so happened that my client representatives were in town, too. I couldn’t slow down enough to be stressed.
I rushed to the storage unit where I had to reorganize items to make room for the two pallets that were placed in a vacant one across the lane two spots down. Of course the driveway has to be on a hill, so the runaway cart was no help; however, my kind neighbor did come out and take a picture of the cart by her front door, as if it nearly slamming into her facility was my plot all along. In my heels, I began to stack box after box after box, higher than my head, and sure enough, one came toppling down, corner first, across my mouth. “Wonderful,” I thought. With the end in sight, I had come down to two last boxes, zip-tied with a yellow band. As I reached for one to drag into the unit, instead of the plastic I gripped metal and the metal gripped back, slicing two deep wounds across two of my fingers. “Really!” I exclaimed. “Anything else today?!” Surely enough, yes. I looked to find the wind hand blown my empty boxes across the parking lot, and, after retrieving them and struggling to load them one-handed onto the cart, using my other hand to keep it stable, I arrived to the dumpster only to find it locked. “Great.”
I managed through the rest of day working into the evening, entertained the clients, took a midnight nap, and started a new day. I woke up to find a dirty house and dirtier car, dirty clothes, dirty dishes, dirty me. In all of my running lately, some things had been neglected. I started with the car thinking people see that more than the inside of my house. I washed inside and out. I remembered I needed a headlight (the cop had told me so the week before), so I picked that up and came home to install. One screw - easy. Other screw - stuck. Me - done. That was my breaking point. I cried standing over that screw asking why it wouldn’t just come out. “Help me out here! I want to rest!” It was already eight in the evening and my plan was headlight, laundry, dishes, take out the dog and feed my animals, shower, and finally sit down to dinner and it wasn’t going accordingly. After a few bangs on the screw with pliers, I took a break and decided to put in laundry. I came two steps in the door and fell to my knees. “Lord, I need you. I’m running crazy here. I’m tired of it all coming down on me. I’m going it alone here and there’s no one to help. I fixed the running toilet. I moved a whole storage unit. I did all of my reports. I’ve paid all of the bills. I cleaned the car. There's still laundry and dishes piled up. I haven't eaten. I’m mad I can’t get the headlight. I’m tired. Where’s my help?”
Being lifted up, I got the laundry bag and walked to the washing machine. I turned on the water. Poured soap. Filled with clothes. And watched. Things started to slow as I was mesmerized by its simplicity. My tears were wiped away as I turned from stressed to thankful. Peering down at that washing machine, I realized I was stressing because I wasn't recognizing the blessing. I have laundry to wash while some people don’t have any clothes to keep warm. I had a filthy car with one headlight, but I don’t have to walk. I have dishes in the sink, but they are dirty because I had food to eat and water to drink. I had a full workday, but I have a job to pay the bills when so many can’t find work. Though I thought I had been doing it all alone, I was reminded I have a Lord who answers. He is my help. He cleanses me when I reach out to Him. After all, my material items weren't the only things I had been neglecting; I had neglected in my busy-ness to be thankful to Him that gives them. I had let the stress of the world overshadow the peace He provides and let the unimportant outweigh the important. As the water in the basin filled up over the clothes, I let His spirit fill up in me and the dirt of the past days washed away. Watching the clothes churn in the bubbles, I realized that I, just like them, can get dirtied by the stress of life, but God is always there to wash and refresh me if I take the time to let Him.
We all have our moments and mine came staring into a washing machine.
