Everyone Likes Clean Underwear

 Ok. This might sound a bit strange to some, but I am going to say it anyway. I enjoy doing the laundry. There, I said it. I enjoy doing the laundry. Though there may be some deeply seeded, very complex, psychological reasons why, I'm not interested in finding out what they may be. Suffice to say, enjoy doing the laundry because it's different from my occupation, and it gives me a small sense of accomplishment when it's finished.

Of course, there is at least one additional benefit. If I'm the one doing the laundry, then I get to do it whenever I need. That's not to say that I selfishly ignore my family’s apparel needs, but simply that I can often judge the extent of their needs by the extent of my own. The goal is to make sure we never run out of the important stuff, such as socks, towels, and of course, clean underwear.

After all, doesn't everyone like clean underwear? Maybe it's simple hygiene, or perhaps it has something to do with your mother asking you if you were wearing a fresh pair, every time you left the house. Whatever the case, everyone likes clean underwear, and as you might imagine, our family is no different.

For that reason, I'm always a bit surprised to hear my children complain when I ask for a little help. After all, they like clean underwear as much as anyone else, so you'd think they'd be more than willing to take their laundry to the laundry room. Nevertheless, that's not what happens. On the contrary, every time I ask them to do so, they act as though I've been making them do the worst thing in the world, despite the fact, that I'm doing it for them. 

At the same time, I can't really be too hard on them. Though I admit, it's tempting to be critical when they behave that way, doing so would be quite hypocritical of me; for you see, the truth is, I see the same tendencies in myself when it comes to my relationship with Christ.

Though I'm more than happy to let him clean up the mess of my sin, I'm often not very interested in putting forth any real effort to change the things that I do. I'm often not willing to give up my selfishness. I'm often uninterested in swallowing my pride. Quite frankly, sometimes, I behave like a child who'd rather run around in dirty underwear than put forth the effort to help get them clean.

Needless to say, because I love my kids, I still wash their clothes even when they fail to get them to the laundry room, but only begrudgingly. In contrast, because Christ loves us and died to save us from our sin, he washes us willingly, even when we are not willing to participate in the process, because he knows that's the only way for us to be made clean, carry on in our relationship with him. 

"Spiritual growth depends on two things: first a willingness to live according to the Word of God; second, a willingness to take whatever consequences emerge as a result." ~ Sinclair Ferguson, Grow in Grace, p 95.