I don’t love ironing.

Truth be told, ninety-nine percent of my ironing is button-down shirts that my hubby needs for his work attire. Is he worth it? Absolutely–I just didn’t think about this being in the job description when I married him. 😁

I don’t know why I don’t like to iron, but I have a feeling it is because of the time that it takes to meticulously starch and iron them, only to repeat the cycle over and over again. It’s boring and monotonous. And, come to think of it, quite unfulfilling. Seriously, no one even notices a nicely ironed shirt, but if left undone it would not only be obvious, but embarrassing.

Here’s the thing. I did sign up for this. In my heart, being a wife and mom and Nana are not only my most important “jobs”, but my favorite ones. The random and sometimes thankless tasks that happen in our home are what can actually be rewarding–if I will but see them from a different perspective.

I have in my possession an old iron that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. It is so heavy that I actually weighed it–6 pounds! The women of previous generations not only had to iron with a heavy iron that was heated over a wood burning stove, the clothing they were pressing had first been washed by hand and then wrung out piece by piece before hanging them to dry. They definitely had some serious wrinkles– and I’m just betting grandma’s hands were much stronger than mine!

Just a few days ago, I was in my basement pressing shirts and I was pondering the recent news that a long-time friend’s husband had passed away. In those quiet moments of ironing and talking to God, my heart went from a position of “just doing a chore” to a time of worship. It was in this sacred time of thinking and praying for my friend that God reminded me what a privilege it is to iron my husband’s shirts. My thoughts were, “I am sure that she wishes she still needed to iron her husband’s shirts…”, and I wept tears mixed with grief for her loss–and gratitude for my own blessing of needing to iron my husband’s shirts…

Perspective is everything.

“So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

A very long time ago, I decided that I needed to change the way I thought about this task and so I chose to make ironing a time of worship. I turn on Christian music, I pray, I worship, I iron. It has actually become a calm, quiet time when I can do a menial task with multiple benefits. Do I still enjoy ironing? Not always. Do I still put it off sometimes? Yep. Not just sometimes, but regularly! 😬 But the truth is, when I do decide to iron, I can choose to start the task with the right attitude.

This week has been a reminder that life is short. God’s Word tells us to “walk by faith”. Wherever He leads, whatever He has in store for you today, let faith be your driving force. As you walk–as you go about your day–choose faith, choose love, and choose to honor Him in all that you do.

Even ironing.