growing weary in doing good

Sometimes we find inspiration in the strangest of places.  During my daily, mundane chores as a wife and mommy, my mind often wanders and I’m reminded of His promise to me.

Today, He spoke through the laundry basket.  Crazy, I know.  Right about now you’re thinking, “She’s lost it.  Gone head first off the deep end.”  But I’m going somewhere with this… just stick with me.  And while we’re on the subject of craziness, currently, I’ve locked myself in the closet to write this blog post.  My youngest child is determined to listen to 10 seconds of every song loaded on the iPod, not to mention at FULL VOLUME.  The closet is my one and only quiet place to retreat.

Back to my wandering thoughts.

I don’t claim to suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (at least not a full blown case), but I do have some tendencies.  I’ll leave those for another day.  But when it comes to chores, I have a method to every madness.  A routine.  A checklist for every thing.  My laundry gets done on the same day, most every week.  But how long before it actually gets put away into its final resting place varies.  I really dread taking the clothes out of the basket and putting them away, even though it takes a total of, oh, 10 minutes tops.

The very last things to make it out of the basket are the socks.  And it never fails; they are ALWAYS inside out.  For some reason, my family doesn’t know how to take their socks off without pulling them from the top, thus causing them to be turned inside out.  And instead of taking 2 seconds to fix them, they are washed inside out.  I know, I know… this is not a major, life-changing dilemma.  But it BOTHERS ME.  Instead of being able to simply find the matches and fold them up nice and neatly, I have to take extra time out of my already busy day to turn them “right-side” out.

Every week when I complete this daunting task, I say to myself, “Self, WHY, oh why, can’t anyone do this correctly???”

Hang on, I’m going somewhere.

Today, I made the same old ‘ugh’ noise and began fixing the socks and finding their matches.  And I thought, you know, I could just put them together “as is” and let the boys deal.  I’ll teach them a lesson.  But, again, my OCD tendencies will just not allow me to do so.  I will not be able to sleep at night knowing the socks are inside out in the drawer!!! 

And that’s when the light bulb went off. 

He said, “Just because no one’s watching, you still must do what’s right.  I know you’re tired of fixing these silly socks, doing what you know in your heart is right & what I’ve called you to do, but don’t fret.  Don’t grow weary.  Keep doing it the way it should be done, and one day they’ll catch on.”

Now, He may not have actually spoken those exact words into my spirit, but it was the jest of it.  I just simply applied that to my daily walk with Him.

Colossians 3:23-24 says this… “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

Do you get it now?  Even though I get tired of doing what’s right, I have an obligation as a Christian to do what’s right.  Not for my kids, not for my husband, not for myself.  I’m working to please my Father.  He has called me to do what’s good and right, not just when I feel like it.  He’s called me to do it every single day that he gives me breath.

So just when you feel like no one is watching, remember that He is watching your every step, your every decision.  And it’s not like your good deeds will go unnoticed.  He says in His word that He will reward you.  Your heavenly inheritance will be outstandingly marvelous, not for making yourself look good, but for staying strong and fighting the good fight, even when you don’t feel like doing it.

The socks may be my nemesis, but I will fight the good fight and continue to “fix them” and do what’s right, even when no one is watching.

Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

One of these days, my family will learn how to fix their socks before throwing them in the hamper.  But until then, I’ll fold them with a joyful heart and look forward to my blessing.