More Than Clean Clothes

The dryer in our rental house stopped working recently, and we haven’t decided if we will replace it yet. So I have found myself at the laundromat in the past few weeks.  This may be a problem for some, but I have come to realize many different things while I wait for the clothes to go through the wash cycle, then load them into the dryer.  

I am a people watcher; not in a negative way, but because I am always wondering what the story is behind their visit to the laundromat. There are some who come in only to use the large machines for bedding, curtains and other things that probably won’t fit in their machines at home. There are some who just drop off a bag of dirty laundry and come back at a later time to pick it up – clean, fluffed and folded (wouldn’t that be great?!).  

There are some people who, after washing a load of clothes, put it in the dryer and disappear some place.  These people cause me to pray for patience because if the dryer stops, the clothes can sometimes sit for 30 minutes. And at busy times, that can become challenging.  There also are people like me, who arrive with clothes sorted to wash, then dry, fold and carry them out to the car.  

We are of different ages, with jobs or perhaps retired, of different nationalities and with different size families.  But our goal is the same – to accomplish this task of cleanliness.  I have come to know each sound in that laundromat – the clinging of change in the quarter machine, the sound of each washer and dryer.  I love the smell of the clothes as I fold them and feel very accomplished as I carry things out to my car. Sometimes I see the same people; sometimes they are all different faces.  The attendants on duty are always friendly and helpful.  Overall, everyone is polite and patient with one another.

This all may sound a little crazy to some; but for me, it brings to mind what Jesus must have experienced each time he spoke to the people who gathered to listen to him.  They all had a purpose; none of them were better than the other.  

They were of different ages and different statuses in society as Jesus ministered to them.  They learned to be patient and caring to one another when they sometimes had to wait.

“The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control “ (Galatians 5:22).  I never imagined I would find the need for these fruits at a laundromat, but I do understand that this is how Jesus taught his people.

When we practice these fruits, we can become better people of God. The people came out of a need to listen to Jesus; and just like those who go to the laundromat, they leave with a new sense of cleanliness – not with clothes, but in their hearts and minds.

I am truly glad that circumstances have led me to this place, where I have found a new way of looking at things. I have been able to see Jesus in the people there, and  it has taught me to use those fruits of the Holy Spirit to accomplish my goal in being there.  

I’m not sure how much longer this experience will last, but I plan to use it not only to return home with clean clothes but also with a clean sense of why I have been brought to this experience.  “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me: teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4).