Socks

Sometimes late night in the basement, it’s just me and the washer and dryer; the washer chugs along, whompa, whompa, whompa, and the dryer whirs along right beside. I spend my time there folding clothes and sorting clothes and looking at stacks of junk stored haphazardly that we don’t really need. My least favorite part about laundry is folding socks. I always leave that part to the very end and even then I try to put it off as long as I can, then I just sigh really loud, shake myself and then go ahead and get it done. But I still don’t like it. Socks are a big mystery at our house. We buy lots of socks, yet somehow, no one ever has any. Most mornings, the boys go from bedroom to bedroom looking to see who has socks available and there is usually a rumble over who gets the last pair. I suppose that part of the problem is that no one likes to come down to the basement to pick up their clean laundry; I do my part by washing and folding (even though I don’t like it) and then the clean clothes often sit, waiting on the appropriate child to come and claim them.

Last week while folding, I found myself exasperated because the piles of clothes were getting large and I had reminded the kids but still, no one had showed to pick up clothes. I was especially irritated because just 15 minutes before, K had told me that we needed “to buy socks.” I was alone in the basement thinking,” If they need socks, why don’t they just come down here and get them? They need socks, here are the socks they need, but they don’t have them because they haven’t come for them.”

In the quiet basement, God reminded me that he works like that too. He has good things for me, folded up and ready, but if I don’t pick up my stuff, he can’t give it to me. The socks are ready and waiting whether my kids pick them up or not, and so is God’s grace and provision. He is there working for me (for my good) even when I don’t accept or acknowledge it. God never stops caring for me and never stops matching up things that I need. I like thinking about all the socks God has folded for me just waiting for a pick up. Laters.