I do Racer’s laundry. After a particularly stinky weekend at the racetrack, opening up that zippered suitcase on a Monday morning can be… well, let’s just say it can be overwhelming to the olfactory nerves.
Doing Racer’s laundry is not a chore I love. Most Mondays, it’s a chore that I get really frustrated by. The clothes stink, he takes days to put them away, only to just pack the suitcase back up, leave on the jet plane and return with another stinky bag for me to wash.
Now I know, some of you are thinking – “Let him do his own stinky laundry.” I’ve tried that. It really is better in our family functioning if I do the laundry. Don’t worry though, Racer folds his own stuff. We came to that agreement years ago after a – *ahem* lively discussion – about how to fold t-shirts. Yes, t-shirts. Ever since then, Racer has folded and put away his own stuff. I just wash it.
So here we are, another Monday morning and I’m emptying the track bag and washing clothes. But something hit me today. Why am I always complaining about washing his nasty track stuff?
Those dirty clothes mean that my husband has a job to go to. That stink is what says I have a husband who works hard. The fact that I have a washer and dryer inside my home puts me in an elite class in the world. And to be really honest, only having to do his laundry one day a week means that we have enough clothes to keep us covered and warm.
So why am I complaining?
Maybe it’s not washing clothes for you, but we all have some mundane chore we do for our spouse. Maybe you pick up her dirty socks up off the floor every. single. night. (Thanks Racer!) Maybe you clean out the fast food bags from the car. Maybe you collect the coffee cup that was left on the bathroom sink as your spouse got ready in the morning. Maybe you make the bed that your spouse left unmade.
You know what your “laundry” chore is. That thing you do for your spouse that doesn’t get appreciated but you just go on doing it anyway because that’s just what you do.
Stop complaining about it. Find a way to turn the chore into a moment, or a few moments, of gratitude. Find a way to say “Thank you God for…”
That’s your Monday Marriage Challenge!
…give thanks in all circumstances… 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Rev. Kris Mares 