Loads of Fun

From the time our boys were little, I taught them to fold their own laundry.

It was a game of sorts. At least that's what I told them (shhhhhh...).

I'd bring up the basket from the laundry room and sort (ok, fling...it was a game for me, too) clothes onto individual piles for each family member. I folded the laundry for my husband and me. And each son folded his own. Granted, my expectations weren't real high. And their folds were anything but perfect. But we'd crank up the music and fold laundry together, and then the boys would put their laundry away. Again, not perfect. But that was not my intent. It was time together. Time to teach a skill. Time to work together. Serve together. Time to connect.

These days, with our oldest son enrolled in high school away from home, his pile of laundry has become my responsibility once again. And with our middle son's busier schedule, he's often not here for laundry-folding either. So, yes, I'm folding a little more laundry these days. It's not the itty bitty sleepers and socks of yesterday. It's big man clothes. In fact, I often have to look at the labels in their jeans to discern whose jeans are whose...they all look so much like my husband's.

With my laundry-folding crew diminishing, my laundry-folding days are a bit quieter. More reflective. And as I'm folding, I find I'm praying a lot more.

For instance...
As I fold their shirts, I'm praying for their hearts...that they'll be completely sold-out to Jesus.

Sometimes I fold shirts that feature some of my family's particular interests...bass playing, baseball, running. This is a reminder to me to thank God for each family member's gifts and passions; to ask God to invest those passions in His kingdom.

Jeans kind of bring to mind hard work, so as I fold their jeans, I'm reminded to pray for their industry and discipline.

Jeans also bring to mind a casual-ness, which reminds me of friends and hanging out. So perhaps I'll pray for their relationships and their interactions, asking God to give them wisdom and discernment in their friendships.

Sorting socks turns my thoughts to where my family goes...that they will walk uprightly, run from evil, and chase after the things of God.

Now lest you think that every laundry-folding day is a spiritual retreat, it's not. Sometimes I'm cranking talk radio. Sometimes I'm enjoying my youngest son's antics. And sometimes I *gulp* forget to pray. But rather than viewing this particular chore as a task to dread and put off, I'm trying to view it and invest it as an opportunity to pray for the ones I hold so dear.