The other day I was ironing a pair of my hubby's pants. As the steaming iron ran across the front panel of the pocket, the tan colored fabric turned a dark shade of wet. Reminded me of when the kids were little and we ironed crayons between wax paper for a stained glass look effect. Only this wasn't an art project but a good pair of his pants. I can't say it would be the first time I had ruined something of his in the laundry process. But this was odd. What could that be?
I turned the pants inside out and saw that the lined part of the pocket had the same look and consistency. Hummm. It's something INSIDE his pocket, that's about when I got a whiff of the minty freshness of it. GUM! Arggh! He likes those little chiclett looking pieces. He keeps a few pieces in his pocket so he doesn't have to carry a whole pack throughout the day. So, my reaction went from "oops, I'm going to have to replace these pants" to "Way to leave gum in your pocket, do you know you could have ruined an entire load of laundry and our new washing machine by leaving that piece of gum in your pocket?" Fortunately, I said all of this to myself. He was at work so he couldn't have heard me anyway. But I stewed over that for a good thirty minutes.
Then I thought I probably could have done a better job in checking his pockets. I mean I used to do that in hopes of finding money back in the day when he carried cash. It's easy to find fault in others and dismiss my own short comings. The fact is, we both screwed up. He left it there and I didn't catch it before I tossed it in the wash. Thankfully no more harm was done. Physically or otherwise with my attitude.
Today I did my l own laundry. I know. Sounds silly that I do our laundry separately but I like mine to smell all girly and he likes his unscented. Whatever, that's like decaf coffee if you ask me. But it actually works out nice. So, I tossed in a load of my own clothes and took Annie, our semi sweet chocolate lab, outside to give her a bath. By the time I was done and came back into the house, the washer was on its spin cycle and making a horrible noise. My first thought was " arggh, now what did he leave in his pocket?" Then I remembered it was my load of clothes. " Humm"
I opened up the washer to find the source of the racket. Inside was a nail, it had worked its way into one of the holes in the stainless steel drum and was beating on something. As soon as I saw it I knew it came from the pocket of the teal shorts I was wearing a couple of days ago. I remember because I remember taking it out of Jim's pocket when I did his laundry and I didn't want the dog to get it so I put it safely in my pocket until I could throw it away or put it were it goes. I remember because I kept feeling that nail all day. And now here we are. Another pocket full of blame and finger pointing.
I think God uses these little everyday moments to teach me bigger picture stuff. In God's eyes, sin is sin. Another person's sin is no different than mine. We are all sinners and therefore all sin, we all make mistakes. We leave gooey gum in our wake for others to clean up and nails behind that can potentially cause greater damage. But, we also have a very gracious God who forgives us of our sin. How can I not forgive others in the same way?
I also know this, another person's sin, never justifies mine. How I react and respond to others is mine. I own that. I am responsible for me and my own growth. So with that I will be taking a closer look in not just the pockets of my laundry but the pockets of every area in my own life, heart and attitude.
-Pressing On
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23 NIV
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:8-9 NIV
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13 NIV
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