Mount Launder-more

There's always a mountain of laundry at my house. With five kids, ours is more of a series of mountain ranges: not only Mount Launder-more, but Mount Wash-it-tomorrow which trails right into Mount Never-rest.  The kids help by taking care of most of their own things, but I can't even count the number of times we've washed a handful of tissues. Washing non-laundry items is a normal happening too - like an ink pen. I hate it when it's a permanent marker. I really hate it when it's a pack of Juicy Fruit. And I really, really hate it when it's real fruit. Can anyone tell me how a half dozen apples got into the wash? And how did the kids manage to miss all of them when they put that load in dryer?  Maybe it was their attempt to make their own dried fruit. I won't even tell you what happened with the cantaloupe. But let me just say that if you've ever had someone put a cantaloupe in your dryer, even on the gentle cycle it doesn't take long to figure out something weird is happening.

At least we don't ever have to buy fireworks. Every two or three days a pair of jeans gets dumped in the dryer with a couple of pockets full of gravel. It sounds like a Chinese New Year celebration.

If you manage make it past the washing and drying cycles without incident, there's still the hanging, folding and putting away to gum up the system (not a Juicy Fruit reference). Does anyone else have as much trouble getting them all hung as I do? Why can't we just hang them on the kids? Just asking the questions makes me a little tired. It's Mount Never-rest, alright.

But in the Lord we can find real rest. Sort of an anti-laundry situation, if you will. Not "Never-rest," but "Ever rest." In Psalm 62:1-2 David reminds us where to go when we're tired:  "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."  (NIV)

Just as if we were scooped up in a giant laundry basket, we're carried by our Father when we learn to trust and rest in him. Psalm 68:19-20 says, "Blessed be the Lord - day after day he carries us along. He's our Savior, our God, oh yes! He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us." (The Message)

In Christ we're given a rest that doesn't depend on circumstances. It's an unexplainable peace that blankets even our biggest trials (and this blanket never causes problems in the lint filter). Want to be blanketed with his peace? Run to him. He's asking you to:  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV). He lightens every burden. No, more than that. He carries every burden. Let him become your Mount Ever-rest!

As for the other mountains, my husband couldn't figure out why I had to shudder just a little when he mentioned vacationing in the mountains. I guess it was because it seemed to be a bit of an oxymoron in laundry language - especially when he mentioned that fresh mountain air - April fresh.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

Contributed by Rhonda Rhearrhea@juno.comRhonda Rhea writes for dozens of great Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. You can find her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri. You can reach them through her Web site atwww.rhondarhea.net