Faithfullyfit4Christ: Embracing Treasures in the Trash!

Taking out the trash.
Washing the dirty dishes.
Cleaning the grimy kitchen floor.
Dusting away the cobwebs.
Reorganizing the laundry room shoe closet.
Vacuuming up the cat hair.

These are just a few of things that I did yesterday that I know I will do again soon.
Without fail the trash will accumulate again. The clothes will pile into dirty loads again. The kitchen floor will become sticky again. The cobwebs will reappear. The shoe closet will become cluttered with things that are not shoes. And the cat hair will most assuredly accumulate! Why is that cat not bald?

My life and most likely your life are full of things that we must repeat on a daily and weekly basis. I used to spend time getting upset over this. I still catch myself wanting to get upset about these things. And then I do my very best to remember there is Joy in laundry! You heard me right. Joy in the dirty, smelly soccer socks. Joy in the clothes I know my daughter tried on once and then tossed in the dirty pile because she did not want to put them back away. Joy in the three sets of clothes my son wore in one day. The school clothes, the gym clothes, the golf clothes.
There are Joy in each of these repeat tasks when I take time to see the Joy.
The joy in being a wife to a husband who needs clean socks. (I would have said underwear but that's totally embarrassing, right?)
The joy in being the mother of an 18 year old son who will soon be leaving the nest for college and bringing me back his dirty golf shirts. (I just know it; it's what his dad did in college.)
The joy in being a mother to a 16 year old daughter who wants to try on a few things until she finds the outfit that fits that day's mood. (And trust me she is a mini-me so you never know what that mood may be.)
There is joy in the laundry. Every piece that I fold reminds me of blessings God has given me. Precious people he has given me to care for, to love and to cherish. Not to mention a home to keep clean.

So I will embrace the opportunity to do the things that I know will quickly be undone.
I will treasure these things from Proverbs 31:
Having a husband who has confidence in me.
Being able to work with eager hands.
Providing food for my family, even when it is takeout!
Planning my days work and having the strength of a healthy body to work diligently.
Keeping my light on all through the night to be available for whatever need may arise.
Offering help to those in need.
Having peace that my family is protected by the Lord.
Studying the word and sharing it with all!
Knowing that the blessing of embracing the treasures given to me in the things I must repeat far outweigh the bags of trash I will take out, the loads of laundry I will wash and the cobwebs I will clear.