Laundry Prayers

Laundry is my least favorite household chore, right next to cleaning bathrooms! I don’t mind sorting the clothes and putting them in the washer/dryer. In fact, I feel very virtuous to hear the swish of the washer while I type away on my computer – accomplishing two things at once! But I dread carrying the baskets of clothes up three flights of stairs, folding each and every sock and uniform and then putting them away!

But I have found a way to redeem this time. And I have done this for years whenever I’m not lost in my thoughts of all the other more important things that need to get done. I pray. I pray for my family, mostly. And it is the easiest method of prayer I have found to cover so many facets of our lives.

When I find a sock, while searching for its mate, I pray for the sock owner’s steps that day. I pray that God will guide him to the right places. The more socks I find, the more I pray about that person’s direction in life and that his feet may bring good news.

Pajamas usually encourage a prayer for good sleep. But if the pj owner is sick, I pray for healing. Tae Kwon Do uniforms, ballet costumes, and workout clothes remind me to pray for health and strength, sometimes even for a long life. Business shirts and trousers remind me to pray for my husband’s work. Church clothes lead me to pray for our church and community. My Awana and VBS shirts remind me to pray for those events and the children and leaders involved. School uniforms prompt prayers for teachers and friendships. My grey jeans remind me to pray for my new photography business (since I usually wear them to shoots). Hand-me-downs encourage prayers of gratitude and blessings for others.

And at the end of this chore, I take each pile to the different rooms, thanking God for the piles of blessings in my life. This mundane activity is transformed into a perspective changing experience, and I am grateful to be putting away the abundance of God’s provision. I am also reminded that I am doing something important – taking part in the bigger picture through prayer, and loving those I hold most dear through a simple act of service.

May God redeem all of our everyday chores!

 

 PS – I let my kids in on this secret prayer today, and they especially loved praying for regularity when folding underwear. :)