The Laundry Room

As I sit alone in my quiet house on the last day of having the house to myself, the silence is met with an onslaught of feelings that are determined to spill out of me. This morning I chose not to be busy. Instead, I chose to slow down, be still, and listen.

The stillness brings a multitude of thoughts and emotions that threaten to steal the peace from my needed moment of solitude. While I hear nothing audibly other than the sound of the washing machine, the voice in my head seems to get louder and louder as it spins in tandem with the whirring noise coming from the laundry room. A voice filled with worry, stress, and negative words as they cycle through my head and heart. I have to sort through them, finding out what is true and what is not, which is not an easy task. Then, I have to meet each truthful and untruthful thought and address them so that my spirit can be quieted.

It’s in this moment I’m reminded to give myself space to feel the things going on inside my heart and then face those feelings. Just like clothes being cleaned as they are agitated in a machine, the things I think about have to go through a similar process. I have to sort through them to figure out what type of cleaning process is necessary for each one. Some are dirtier than others and will take longer to process. Some leave stains that never seem to go away no matter how hard I try to get them out. And then there are some that are so bad or tattered they need to be tossed in the garbage, out of my life for good.

It’s only in this cleansing process where I can find some release from the things I’m struggling with. It’s not easy and can be very agitating to my spirit sometimes, but it’s a necessary part of life. I can’t leave my feelings in the laundry basket forever, or they will pile up further.

Life can often feel tumultuous and overwhelming. We live in a busy part of the world, full of stresses that try to break us, including having one more chore to do (i.e. laundry). The things we feel can direct us in ways they are not meant to, so we must be mindful of them before they overpower. Feelings aren't supposed to keep us in a defeated state, but we can learn from them as we work through them. We must never hide from our feelings either. We must feel them AND deal with them. Once we do, the quiet comes. And even when we have to rinse and repeat, it’s worth every effort we put into it.

Just like with laundry, we must care for our mind and heart on a regular basis. And I believe that when we take care of ourselves this way, we find the quiet place in our spirit more quickly regardless of what stormy feelings we are facing.

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-12 NLT