When I was a young child, laundry day was quite a different experience than it is today. My mother did not own an electric dryer for much of my childhood. Clothes were hung out on the line to dry, or in the basement if the weather was not conducive to outside drying. Mom would lug that heavy basket, laden with the family laundry, out to the line every Monday, all while trying to avoid Tracy, my deranged duck. I was gifted Tracy the Duck for Easter (yes, that was a mistake), and he HATED my mom, passionately! He was possibly the only living creature on this planet to have an issue with that sweet lady, but an issue he definitely had. Tracy hissed at her every time she dared to enter his domain, which happened to consist of the entire yard. It was comical to watch a grown lady and a crazy duck argue, well, at least I thought it was hysterical. My mom, however, didn’t find it humorous at all. One morning my beloved duck mysteriously disappeared. Mom said that he was possibly stolen, but I believe to this day that my sweet, innocent mom hired a hit man to off poor Tracy.
Years later, I still follow in my mother’s footsteps and line dry when at all possible, even though I have always owned an electric dryer and have never owned another deranged duck. Let me pause here to clarify the important difference between line-dried and dryer-dried towels. Both towels will end up dry, but one will be soft and fluffy (dryer) and one will be a bit stiff and scratchy (line). My children were always vocal about their hatred for line-dried towels. Mom, they are too scratchy, they itch…whine, whine, whine. Spoiled babies! I tried a psychological approach, telling them that these scratchy towels were great exfoliators, but the kids weren’t buying it; they wanted the soft, cuddly towels.
God’s Word can have the same impact as those two distinct types of towels. In times of trials, grief, confusion, sorrow, and searching, His Word is that soft, soothing, towel that wraps around us, comforts us, and brings us peace, hope and encouragement. He is always there, speaking to us and loving us through His Word, setting our feet on the path again, carrying us when the burden is too heavy. But there are times in our lives when we need the scratchy towels, when God’s Word needs to be abrasive, pointing out our sin, disobedience, and apathy. Sometimes we need the exfoliation that makes us uncomfortable as we compare our lives to the holiness of Christ, we need that sharp sword to cut us deeply and conform us to His image. Those times are not as soothing, but just as important to our growth. So as you study His Word today, allow it to fulfill its purpose, be it scratchy or smooth.
Hebrew 4:12 For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper that any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Help me, Lord, to always avail myself to the life-changing impact of Your Word. Lord, Your Word is available to me when I need strength, guidance, comfort, shelter from a storm. I love and appreciate the peace that I find within those pages. But sometimes I need Your Word for correction and conviction. Help me to be pliable to Your Word when I am shown areas of my life that need adjustment.