But
be ye doers of the word,
and
not hearers only...
James
1:22
Clotheslines
are all but extinct from Americana as we knew them. Everyone had
clotheslines in their back yards many years ago. We even had special
hooks inside our house where we could string plastic clotheslines
through them. They facilitated being able to dry clothes inside on
rainy days. I really loved clotheslines in the backyard of the
first house that I remember living in.
The
clothesline supports on both sides of our backyard that held the
clotheslines themselves became pretty rickety. I guess I was about
four or five years old when my dad decided to take down the old and
put up totally new ones. He bought heavy metal pipes that a friend
cut for him. Both supports ended up being a “capital T” shape
after being welded together. Daddy sunk them into the ground with a
good amount of concrete, drilled four holes through each of the two
supports and then ran some non-rust line back and forth between the
supports. I believe we had the finest clotheslines in the
neighborhood. My Mother took great pride in the washing she did
EVERY Monday...that was wash day religiously. (It still is for me to
this day.)
This
is where I must confess that one of those clothes lines wasn't just
for clothes. Attached to one of those lines that was kept at the far
end of the line was a long rope. You see, I was a wanderer. I knew
everyone who lived on our block, front and back. I loved getting on
my tricycle, cruising from one place to another just visiting. When
Mother finally caught up with me. Kids today don't know what a time
out is because when my Mother got me home, she often clipped that
rope to a small harness I had to put on. The rope was long enough
that I could go to the outhouse or to my playhouse or even to the
back porch of our house. It is said that confession is good for the
soul so there you have it. My husband claims that I am still a
wanderer but so far he hasn't taken any drastic actions.
You
don't see clotheslines anymore. In fact, where we lived prior to
this small town where we are now, it was illegal by town ordinance to
have clotheslines in ones backyard. They were declared a hazard.
How on earth did many of us make it to the age we are without the
government keeping us safe?
As
I was thinking of clotheslines this week, I was comparing them in my
mind to my spiritual walk. It's okay for my Dad going to all the
trouble he did in putting up the finest clotheslines in the
neighborhood, but what, if after all that work, my Mother never hung
anything on those lines? The purpose of my Dad's work wasn't just to
build clothesline supports with line. It all was meant to serve one
primary purpose...dry clothes.
I've
thought of my own spiritual walk and what I have or haven't
contributed to God's Kingdom in these years since my salvation at the
ripe old age of ten. One of those clothesline supports reminds me of
my salvation...the one on the other side of the yard, my entry into
Heaven. Meantime, there's a lot of line there that I'm supposed to
be using, making my contribution to God's Kingdom, using my gifts,
talents and abilities for Him. Is there much of anything hanging on
the lines of my life that is meaningful, counting for God?
In
my neighborhood at the time, most women did their washing on Mondays.
In my wanderings, although young, it was easy to see that not all
the things hanging on various lines looked the same. Some women just
went and hung anything, anywhere. Not my Mother...sheets and pillow
cases were hung first, then white or light clothing, color things,
towels and then my Daddy's work clothes. Everything was very
organized.
The
same is true for each of us as we look at our individual clotheslines
of Christian service. None of our lines will look the same because
we are all so different. We will serve God's purpose in different
ways but we are expected to serve God as best we can within His will
for us.
I
understand that at our various stages of life, our service will
change from time to time. Our service at various stages will look
different but we should always have things of service hanging from
our own personal “clotheslines.”
When
younger, some women may be more mobile, have more energy for various
forms of activity. The ladies I work with right now are fairly
immobile but God always gives us opportunities to serve Him no matter
the stage of life we are at. We don't have to get real
complicated...there are simple things we can do to serve God that
doesn't take a lot of time or energy but can be so meaningful. Some
things we can all do:
- Be a prayer warrior. Most churches publish a prayer list or we can establish our own.
- Write a note of encouragement to someone going through a tough time.
- Send cards to shut-ins or someone in or just out of the hospital
- Make a “just thinkin' of you” phone call
- Be ready with a kind, spiritual word to folks out in public you may not even know.
- Be a woman who is daily in the Word of God...learning and growing.
Brian and I were shopping recently. I was exhausted because I'm still not back to full strength after my fall a month ago. It came our turn at a check out counter, and the most delightful lady was our check out person. Many check out people aren't the most congenial especially when they are working very busy weekend days. She was a delight, maybe in her 60's. As we walked away, she said with a big smile, “You two have a blest day now.” I can't tell you in that moment how my spirit was lifted...”A sister in Christ” I said to myself. My spirit was not only lifted, but I was encouraged. As far as I'm concerned, that was as good as a king-size sheet hanging from one of her clotheslines.
We
don't just accept Jesus as Savior and wait for Heaven. We are born
to serve, to be a blessing between the time of our salvation and when
God calls us home. Our service will all be different from each other
simply because we ARE different...that's what makes our working and
serving together so interesting.
Things
hanging on the line aren't to bolster our pride or to keep some kind
of ridiculous score. When sincerely serving our Lord, we get to
where we don't even know most of what we are accomplishing for Him.
Soooo...let's get our personal washing done...let Jesus clean us up
and then as clean vessels, let's be the kind of influence our sick
ole world needs. It will get to be so natural that serving the Lord
will just happen and can be very enjoyable. In the end, it will be
the Lord who takes things off of our lines and hopefully says, “Well
done.”
***********************************************************
Help
me Father, to not only serve You but to love doing it. Give me a
heart for others and their needs. I don't want to be a spiritual
show off but Your faithful servant. May it be so in Your power and
Your power alone. I love you. Amen
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