Instead of dwelling on that... I will save that for the day that it is all my mind and heart can focus on... I think I will write tonight of the joy of a washing machine, in MY house, making noise. "WHAT? Why would you want to focus on THAT?" Well let me tell ya... because I had no idea I would hear that sound for quite some time yet. But just as He always does, God answers prayers we don't even know to ask for. He does things we never thought to ask, in ways we never dreamed He would.
See, tons of our stuff is still in Amarillo, in storage. When we moved, we brought the things we needed for the apartment living we were going to be doing for a while, as we waited on the house to sell. We lived in that apartment until I could take it no more and God heard my SCREAMS and we moved into a wonderful new home last August. All was well except the house didn't come with washer and dryer package like the apartment did and we had left ours behind for obvious reasons. What began as a plan for a few weeks without, has turned into still not having our things and not sure when they will arrive.
Anyway, I have spent many an hour and many a quarter and am on a first name basis with the laundry lady. Her name is Chris, she cusses like a sailor, but she is a hoot. We have shared some time talking about Todd's illness and I have had the chance to share Jesus with her here and there along the way. But as wonderful as all that is, I am really sick of the washateria. I am tired of running out of good undies and having to resort to the ones no human on the face of the earth should be forced to wear because I didn't have time to go to the stupid washateria because instead, I had on my taxi cab hat (of which I run that meter to the ground and not one paying customer, if you can believe it!) Quite frankly, I didn't realize how much I really do love those white machines that make that humming sound and eat just enough socks to make you feel like you are losing your mind. There, I said it. I miss my machines! Make fun of me if you must, but do not judge until you too have spent days, weeks, months, years... okay so maybe not years but still... pouring quarters one by one by one into those cold, harsh impersonal machines that don't care a thing about you... you are just another paying customer to them! Don't judge until YOU have had to resort to the worst undies known to man. Don't judge until YOU have had the drive through people talk behind your back while you do everything in your power to convince them you are NOT crazy. It is NORMAL to hang wet football pants from your back window to dry. Don't judge me for my love of those machines.... just don't do it!
Okay, now back to the purpose here. Since Todd is sick, I have wondered when, if ever I will see those precious machines again. I confess, I have coveted my neighbors. I see them, walking out of their house in clean clothes, never, a laundry basket or a quarter in hand, and I know... THEY have their machines. They are wearing comfortable undies! And I have sat sadly wondering would I ever be like them again. And then it happened.... God blessed me when I least expected it, in a way I never dreamed.
You see, all I have known to pray is for God to heal Todd and help us get back home for our stuff ASAP. God however, is so much bigger than that prayer. He looked down on me in love, and probably pity from one too many wedgies, and gave me the answer through a precious teacher friend, who has an overly generous mom. I got a text that said, "Robin, do you still need a washer and dryer?" "Why yes, why do you ask?" "My mom thought my dryer was thumping so she just went out and bought me knew ones! Who DOES that?" "What? Really? Yes, I need them! how much do you want? And don't say FREE!" "No, my mom was excited because she had already arranged for them to just be hauled off. They work great so I don't want them hauled off. If you can find some muscle, they are yours!"
Are you kidding me? Not only do I not have to wait for Todd to feel well enough to go, or come up with money right here at Christmas time for new ones, but God gave me free ones, tonight, and all I had to do was find someone to help me move them! I called another teacher friend who has four sons and it was ON! They are in very nice condition and actually were the most beautiful things I have laid eyes on in a while. It was difficult to control myself, but I did maintain my composure until the help was gone, and then I found myself laying across them saying, "Welcome home fellas! Welcome home!" with tears flowing freely. (okay, okay so maybe it wasn't quite that dramatic but still!)
And though I am making this humorous, the reality is, there is a beautiful nugget found in the midst of this situation. I had no idea to even pray for FREE, GOOD washer and dryer! I had no idea to even begin to imagine this friend's mom hearing a "thump" and feeling compelled to buy brand new ones. But God knows my needs far more than even I and He knew how to orchestrate a beautiful blessing straight out of Heaven for me and my family tonight! As I loaded my good undies into that machine, I praised God for every good and plentiful gift from above! He is such a good, good God. He truly knows EVERY need and is already at work meeting those needs before we even ask.
I am sure before long, I would have been begging for an answer. It was getting more and more laborious to haul it all up there. My family is NOT small and when everyone undresses just once that day, I have a full load. Todd is getting better one day at a time, but it will be a while before he is up to the drive and the work involved in getting the rest of our things. So it was just a matter of time before I cracked. God knew it before me, so He allowed my friend's mom to hear a noise, apparently have the funds for blessing her daughter with brand new, and my being the recipient of what would have just been the "haul off's". God knew, He answered... I hadn't even asked. Evidence that He is at work in the greater good beyond what we can even dream.
There are worse things than bad undies. Memolly, Todd;s grandma, is in hospice and we can't get there right now. Todd's nasty infection remains a battle. Eathan is gone and THAT day is just a couple of days away... AGAIN. Someone is fighting cancer tonight. Someone lost their fight to cancer. A husband was caught in an affair and shattered a wife's heart. A car wreck took someones life too soon and so unexpectedly. So much pain. So much sorrow. So many raging storms.
But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Before we even know to ask, He died for us. How much more do we need to understand He WILL supply our every need, in ways that blow our minds and bless our hearts. He will touch us through others in ways we can't even predict and humble us to the point we don't even hardly know how to express our thanksgiving. But then, that's okay, because just like He knows our needs before we even ask, He also knows our hearts. God is at work. We can get through anything because He constantly shows up. Some my deny it is Him, but after all we have endured, I can fully and completely testify... it IS God and He DOES care for my EVERY need.
Thank you God for good, clean undies washed right under my very own roof tonight! Thank you for friends that bless and don't even begin to realize how they are Your tool to encourage me through again in a storm. And thank you for not waiting for this foolish mind to catch up to what You are doing because it is simply too big for me to grasp.... and I LOVE that!
Whatever "bad undies" situation in your life... God has your back before you ever know to ask... you just have to be willing to trust!
Robin
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