Everyone has something they put off. Something they absolutely dread doing. Something that falls somewhere behind alphabetizing the silver ware drawer on your priority list. (At least, this it what I tell myself, so I don't feel like I am the only one) If you hang around me very long, you will know for me, that something, is laundry. I do good for a few days, then I blink, and it's everywhere....again. I actually thought I was on one of those "good" days, until this evening. I was leaving my mom's after our annual President's Day cherry pies when she, knowing my husband is out of town, yells after me, "Let me know if you need anything!". Hagen, fully dressed as a robot, yells from my arms, "I need socks." This is the point where I look down at his feet. Sure enough, no socks. Well, at least it's not the middle of winter and below freezing outside. Oh wait, IT IS.
So as I drive home I am mentally forcing laundry up on the list of priorities. OK. OK. I will tuck the kids in bed, and then I'll dive headfirst into the pile of laundry and not come up till it's done. With my game plan and bad attitude firmly in place, I tuck, squeeze, kiss, pray, and turn to face the giant, when Dylann says, "Mom, remember when Daddy could raise his hands all the way up and was still really far from the ceiling in our old house? Now that we live in the trailer it is easy to touch the ceiling." "Yes." I say curiously wondering where she is going with this. " I think God brought us here to bring us closer together as a family." Wow.... She rolls over, done with her story. I walk out, far from done digesting what she has said. How many times am I so distracted by the needs, wants, perceived hardships of my situations, that I miss out on the blessing of right here, where He has me. I never wanted to sell everything we owned only to show up empty handed at a trailer door. But I realize now, we didn't show up empty handed at all. God's love living inside us is something we brought with us. That love for Him has filled the walls of our home (even if they are made of metal). That love is bigger than discontentment. That love is warmer than than our old fireplace in the winter. That love makes us laugh at the sink hole in the kitchen. The love of Christ in our family has made our trailer a home. It has helped us overcome many hard things during our transition to Africa. And that love will travel the ocean with us as we make our home on foreign soil.
Snapping back into reality...I remember my game plan....me vs. laundry. With a renewed sense of "I can do all things through Christ...", I will bring the love of Christ to the pile of laundry. Grateful to be where He placed me tonight....up to my eyeballs in jeans, soccer uniforms and socks. Just as Christ pours His love into me, I can love my family by serving them tonight. Thanks Dylann for reminding me of things I had forgotten. So Dylann, here's to a trailer full of love. And Hagen, here's to a drawer full of socks.
