I Love To Do Laundry!

“Helping, fixing and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, but service is the work of the soul.”

~ Rachel Naomi Remen 

The associate pastor of my church made a bold declaration from the pulpit a few weeks ago. Kory stood in front of the congregation to deliver his opening morning address. With unabashed confidence and conviction he declared in front of everyone, “I love to do laundry!”

The audience, somewhat stunned by this brash statement, listened intently for an explanation or clues as to why this was important business to come before the congregation. Some giggled. Some woke from their day dreaming. Most of us wondered in amazement what this could mean.

Kory went on to further explain that not only does he like doing laundry, he especially likes doing the laundry when Sorrel (his wife) doesn’t ask him to do it. He said that anytime he comes through the house and there is laundry to be folded, he pops on the TV, sits down and goes to work.

Folding away and watching TV he loses all track of time and the clothes are folded before he knows it. If he can incorporate something he wants to do into the chore, like watching a game or a TV program, it makes the act of folding laundry that much more enjoyable.

“This is not all completely true”, Kory explained as he finally came clean in his confession. He said what he really likes is for his wife to notice that he has done the laundry without having to ask. He wants the recognition, the praise and the pat on the back that he has done a good job. He wants her to make a big fuss over his effort.

Don’t we all.

Don’t we all do things because we know how others will react? Don’t we want people to tell us that we have done a good job? Don’t we want recognition for a job well done? Even if the chore or work we are doing is a blessing to someone else, isn’t it about our own pride and egos that is our motivation for pitching in to help in the first place? Isn’t it truly all about us?

Kory went on to further explain that at times his plan to gain his wife’s adoration and affection has backfired. One time as he was walking through the bedroom there was a large pile of clothes on the bed sorted out by colors. Without thinking he popped on the game and went to folding. A couple of hours later Sorrel asked what happened to the laundry on the bed. Kory stated he had folded them all and put them away. I can only imagine Sorrel’s look (I’ve seen it from my wife many times). She informed him that those were all dirty and she had sorted them to be washed. Doh!

I don’t want to discourage you from helping others. In fact, I have said it before, there is no greater joy you can have for yourself that to truly help someone else in their time of need. What I do encourage you to do though is to take a moment and take a sniff of the “clothes” you are folding. Discover what your motives for helping are. Are they clean? Are they pure? Are you helping because someone truly needs your help or advice; or are you helping so that you will get the credit?

We have tons of nonprofits and charities in our community who need your help. They need you to physically help. They need your financial help. They may even need your leadership by serving on a board or committee. Serve with pure motives. Serve with a giving heart. Do the work not only for your own satisfaction but for the benefit of others and for the good of our community.

I’m hoping your days ahead are filled with the scent of fresh folded laundry and our community betters because of it!

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* This article was originally printed in the Sunday, September 30, 2012 issue
 of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.