I'm washing clothes right now. As a single guy, it's part of my weekend routine. The only part of the routine which changes is which part of the weekend I'm in the laundry room on my floor. which has been artfully re-titled by my apartment complex as the Clothes Care Center. It (must be why the rent on my next lease is increasing my $35 per month!) Actually, I don't mind washing clothes. Since I can walk to the machines in about 45 seconds, I can do other errands and chores concurrently. Two weeks ago, I did a load of sheets and pillow cases which I always do separately- no mixing linens and the wardrobe! But as I took the bed coverings out of the washer, I made an unpleasant discovery. A child's crayon had been left in the washing machine and had somehow become lodged in my pillow case. You can see the result above. I should have checked the washer but I have never had any problems before. Needless to say, it's ruined and the crayon breathed its last as well. Oh well, I never was a fan of orange anyway. As a Husker fan, I might have felt differently if the Crayola had been red!
There was something I found fascinating about the pillow case incident. The sheets and the other pillow case that shared the same water and detergent were untouched. There was no trace of orange anywhere except on that one piece of pale blue fabric. I am still not sure how that happened. It seems logical that the other items being washed would at least show hints of orange tint but they were unmarked. How is that possible? Jesus wasn't speaking of laundry in John 17 when He prayed to His Father about His apostles, asking God to protect His men who were in the world. There is just this human tendency to pick up whatever we are around. If we are around smokers, we smell like cigarettes. If we are in McDonald's, we come out with the aroma of french fries in our clothes. Our accents sound like the people in our orbit, especially our immediate family. It's so hard to not let the world tinge our thoughts and attitudes and actions. My classes focus on James 1:27 but we hone in on the taking care of orphans and widows part. The harder clause in that verse is and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (The ESV uses the term unstained which I like.) And yet we know it's possible to be unpolluted if for no other reason than James tells us that is what the Father considers pure and faultless religion. It's a daily fight for me even though I work in a Christian school with fellow believers. The issue is much more dealing with what's going on outside our walls and campus. We put up with a little staining- the it's not THAT bad mindset- at our own peril. Satan wants us and the world wants us but God wants us more. Pure and white in the blood of the lamb- no orange in my future! But I will check the washer tub before the next load of pillow cases!
Applicable quote of the day:
There is no blue without yellow and without orange.
Vincent Van Gogh
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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