When it comes to ironing, I am the Procrastinator Supreme. Why I have this aversion is beyond me.
Perhaps it stems from all of those dampened and starched pillowcases I had to press as one of my weekly chores during my childhood days.
Any household jobs requiring rubber gloves are not an issue – but the mounting wrinkled mass in the laundry basket has been, well….easily and indefinitely ignored.
A few of the clothes have rested there for so long they are in danger of becoming vintage pieces.
I knew this was a serious issue when, as I began my quest of diminishing the massive heap, my husband asked me if I had bought him some new shirts.
How could I have had such a lapse?
My disdain for de-wrinkling surely stems from the fact that, to me, it is tedious, boring work.
Oswald Chambers tells us that the challenge of walking with God is to find Him in the mundane tasks before us. He says,
The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God.
As I prayed through the ironing, God prompted me to wonder if there was anything else piling up in my life…or in my heart.
Hmmmm….making mountains out of molehills took on a new meaning.
God can certainly show us ways to reduce our emotional (and material!) pile-ups, and help smooth out life’s wrinkles.
Though we are grateful for His blessings that astound us, we honor Him most by recognizing His presence in the humdrum of our days… in the most laborious tasks.
So, dear friends…let’s press on!
We are not meant to be illuminated versions (of the new life God has put into us), but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God. ~ Oswald Chambers, parentheses mine
beWARM 
“Strange” that your blog came in this morning, Toni! I woke up early thinking, 1) I could get up and do 45 minutes of ironing (my approach is divide & conquer) and 2) gee, Toni hasn’t blogged in a bit. You have touched upon a Most Important Point: that the “ordinary” life, lived for and in God becomes holy and precious and sacred to Him (made that way BY Him!), even as we complain about the drudgery of ironing. Thank you for the right perspective – on ironing and ordinary…….
Love the divide and conquer concept, Betty! If I ascribe to that, perhaps my piles won’t become so unmanageable… Here’s to the ordinary, which is well loved by Him…
Love the writing and message… what’s funny is ironing is something I’ve always enjoyed (when it is a handful of pieces at at time)! It has always felt like a meditation, and immediate gratification in wrinkles becoming smooth. I wish I could apply that iron to the yet unresolved looming issues in my life – which would be my equivalent of the accumulated pile of clothes. Sending love, and as always gratitude for the spirit that pours through your writing…
Thank you, Susan! I will be praying for the ironing out of those uncertain things in your life – for God’s guidance and His provision….
Oh, you dear ladies are so deep … and here I am in a state of mind where my impression was: just buy clothes you never have to iron!!!!!!! Hmmmmm … that probably says a good bit about my slothfulness!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ha Ha….but I am not seeing your slothfulness in the least….
..just peeked in….and ahhh, the topic..ironing….like Susan…have always liked it….maybe its the memories of when my mom would have me practice on my dad’s ‘hankies’!!…or what about all those pillowcases??..whatever…here it is..there is ‘always’ ironing…and I found that the time is ‘set aside’…for an instant quiet time…and have found to pray over the shirts of my hubby’s….(not to get to heavy here)…but…I could see my loved ones arms, chest..while pressing his shirts…yessss, who of us all..ever thought…His divine presence would be found in our pile of ironing….?
Oh Frannie! I forgot about hose hankies!!! :) Your thoughts are are beautiful…thank you for sharing!