How could I NOT do Five Minute Friday with a word prompt of “laundry”? I have deep and abiding opinions about laundry, about the amount of laundry, the merits of wrinkle-free materials and the smelly allergy-triggers of strongly scented detergent.

When I saw the prompt, I knew I’d be doing Five Minute Friday this week. In case you’re not familiar with it, Five Minute Friday is a fun linkup with Lisa-jo Baker. She puts up a word prompt each week and the instructions are to just go for it. Don’t edit. Don’t get locked up. Don’t over-think it, just have fun and write whatever comes to mind in five minutes. Then linkup your post with others on her site: http://lisajobaker.com It is open to anyone who wants to participate. Maybe you want to try it out?

Ready?

Set?

Go!

“A little lifting up of the heart suffices; a little remembrance of God, an interior act of adoration, even though made on the march and with sword in hand, are prayers which, short though they may be, are nevertheless very pleasing to God, and far from making a soldier lose his courage on the most dangerous occasions, bolster it. Let him then think of God as much as possible so that he will gradually become accustomed to this little but holy exercise; no one will notice it and nothing is easier than to repeat often during the day these little acts of interior adoration.”

―     Brother Lawrence,     The Practice of the Presence of God

For many years now, laundry has been a frequent chore, a nearly every day occurance.

I don’t love laundry.

But I now longer hate it.

Many years ago I tried to shift my attitude about laundry.

My husband needed clean socks, and had none because I hadn’t done the laundry.

“Wash your own darn socks,” I thought.

We had already established a sharing of household chores and laundry fell to me. It wasn’t that he was incapable or unwilling to wash his own socks. We had agreed that I would do it.

In that period, I came to realize how nice it was for him to go to his drawer as he prepared for his day, and find clean socks.

A little thing, really.

But the reason behind the socks changed,

because I changed.

I started viewing the laundry as an unspoken act of love.

I washed the socks, dried, folded and put away the socks because I love my husband.

Socks are my little love note left in his drawer every day.

The change came when I started to think of every little thing I did as being significant and tried “doing it all as unto the Lord” like the Bible suggests. Brother Lawrence also helped. Maybe worshipping God isn’t as hard as we try to make it.

“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”
―     Brother Lawrence,     The Practice of the Presence of God

STOP.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome — I think  that by sharing, we can help each other along in our journeys. How can you be aware of God’s presence as you go about the seemingly mundane things on your to-do list today? Is being aware of God’s presence something that comes naturally to you or does it take work?  I hope you have an extra awareness of Him walking alongside you as you go about your day.