You probably know what this is, but have you ever used one?

I’m not sure how it works at your house, but at mine, the laundry baskets are like we all want our savings accounts to be – never empty!  There is a washboard hanging on my wall in clear site of my washer and dryer. It reminds me that doing laundry has a lot to do with perspective.  When the mountain of dirty clothes threatens to landslide on me, I glance at the washboard and am reminded how much easier my life is than it was for women before all of our modern day conveniences.  What it comes down to is not just keeping everyone’s socks clean.  It’s about keeping a clean perspective.

We set certain standards for ourselves that muddy the right perspective.  Ever done that? I know I do it.  It used to be that everything in my house had to be nearly perfect before I would consider entertaining.  I’d clean madly, plan a detailed menu, make everything from scratch, and stress about “the picture” being just right.  As a result, my husband and I rarely entertained.  It was just too much!  This year a clean and fresh  perspective has evolved in my household.   It’s one we want to nurture and develop even more.

Somewhere along the line, having people over became not about “entertaining” but  about “sharing life.”  It’s a lot more real, far less stressful and exponentially more rewarding.  Developing relationships has become more important than spotless windows and keeping obscure corners free of dust bunnies.  It’s about watching the kids play, sharing food (definitely not always made from scratch!!), and breaking open the Word as part of our time together.  My husband and I want our children to know that our God and our friends are woven into our imperfect lives, and that life is about being real, and that our reality always includes God.

1 Peter 4:8-9

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.“