John 13:12 “After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?””

Doing the laundry is not one of my favorite chores. As soon as you get everything washed, someone throws in another article of clothing and it is time to begin again. It is a never-ending job.

A few years ago, I stopped complaining so much about this task. What changed my attitude? Watching women in other countries do their laundry changed my opinion. My process is so simple. I throw things into a washing machine and press a few buttons and then I sit and wait. In many developing countries, the laundry is a several day process. It starts with collecting the water. Sometimes the water is so muddy that all the white items turn a dingy brown. All items are washed by hand, rinsed, wrung out and then hung somewhere to dry. The task is backbreaking.

Jesus also experienced some washing during His ministry. In John 13:12, we see the account of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. He labored over this chore. A basin of water filled from a nearby river. Our Lord bent over to wash each foot and then rubbed them dry. The account provides a beautiful picture of a chore done in love. Jesus’ example offers me another reason to use the laundry to demonstrate love for my family as I wash our clothes.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus offered us another washing. As shown in Titus 3:5 below, Jesus washed away our sins. His death on the cross offered us the ultimate cleaning. This cleansing requires very little effort on our part; we just have to ask the Lord to forgive our sins and enter our hearts to wash away our sin. We do not need to do any backbreaking work to receive this gift of His great mercy. We just need to repent of our sins and allow Him to wash us clean. Today is a good day to begin again. Once God does the laundry, it does not need to be done again.

Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”

May the Lord Bless you and keep you.

Yvonne

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”