Lighten the Load

I come from a poor family.  We did not have much.  But the Lord has been good to us.  (If you are real churchy, you just sang that song.  It goes hard, don’t it?!?)  Although those are song lyrics, they really are my testimony.  Now, I had no idea we were poor.  I had everything I wanted.  Ate well.  Had toys.  What we did not have was a dryer.

As an adult, the thought of living in a home without a washer AND a dryer just does not appeal to me.  Lugging my laundry home while I was in college was a chore.  When it was finally time for me to spread my wings into a place of my own, having a washer and dry in each apartment was at the top of my list.  Funny how time shifts your perspective.

As a kid, I looked forward to hanging our wet clothes on the clothesline.  Well, I was too short, but I was a great assistant.  I would hold the wooden clothespins and hand them to my great-grandmother as she moved down the clothesline.  Quite often, I would get slapped in the face by wet laundry if the wind began to stir.  I did not mind.  It was a chore that I looked forward to.  We let nature do its work and dry the clothes while we went on to a different household task.

I still remember walking through the rows of wet laundry.  Playing peek-a-boo with myself and having the time of my life.  I was probably getting on my great-grandmother’s nerves now that I think about it.  For her, it was responsibility and for me it was a joy.

Hmmm, maybe I need to shift my perspective on many aspects of my life.  I need to rediscover the joy in the simple things that I take for granted.  I need to adopt a more child-like approach to responsibilities that have been placed in my hands.  I rehearse negative thoughts when I could be thanking God for the opportunity.  Now do not misunderstand me.  I am not trying to have a clothesline, clothespins, and lots of laundry to hang in the year of our Lord 2020.  However, I am going to be thankful for the responsibilities that He has given me.  #wepreach