Heritage

A couple of months ago my aunt came up with the idea of reminiscing via email. The idea was to pick a topic and discuss her memories about that topic from childhood. She then sends out the email to all of the family once a week. We are then to reply with our memories. She's putting all of these into a book for my grandparents. At first I was a bit skeptical about how much I would be able to participate or "benefit". I enjoy hearing stories about when my dad grew up, but these are stories from when my grandparents were my age. I wasn't sure I could relate very well.

I've been pleasantly surprised with not only how much I enjoyed the emails, but also how it seems to  keep us all more connected. My aunt adds details to each email about what is going on in everyone's life that week and our replies add more to this.

Today my aunt chose the topic of clotheslines. She added her memories of sun dried clothes and gave a parallel between the clothesline and God. She then asked us if we could come up with some parallels. I really liked my Uncle Tom's reply and asked if I could share it with my blog readers.

We are the clothes.   The line is Christ.  The environment around the clothesline is our life here on earth.  The act of washing is the experience of confession, repentance, and forgiveness.  After the washing takes place it takes a little bit of time to be fully ready to serve (being worn is serving).  The wind and the sun is the Holy Spirit.  We must allow the HS to work in us to get us ready to serve.

 

There are several kinds of clothespins, each representing the different ways we stay connected to the line.  One clothespin represents prayer, another the reading and study of God's word, and yet another is the influence of Godly people in our lives.  There are a lot of clothespins in our lives that give the impression that they will connect us to the line but they have litlle or no gripping power. 

 

If we use no clothespins or we depend upon weak clothespins we will fall off the line and get dirty.  If this happens we have to be re-washed (forgiven) and rehung. 

 

In this analogy trials and troubles come in the form of storms.  There are storms that come that can be so violent they can rip us off the line, or they may simply get us wet and delay our readiness to be worn (used in some way to serve).  We have nothing to worry about if we have the right connection to the line, the added wind may actually dry us out quicker (make us more ready to serve).

 

I guess the neat part is the fact that when we do fall off the line we can always be re-washed and re-hung, but it is only when we're clean and dry that we're in a position to serve in any meaningful way.

 

The world is so polluted that it is very difficult, even with the best clothespins to avoid some level of dirtiness, which is why we must be washed daily.  Once washed we need the wind and sun to dry us out quickly and make us ready to be worn (service).  Our reason for being is to be worn.  If we fail to get washed we cannot effectively serve. 

 

A lifetime of service through connection to the line and the HS preparing and allowing us to serve will eventually lead us to heaven, where there will be no dirt, we'll always be clean and we will continually serve.

 

I never realized that I would be blessed spiritually through emails reminiscing about a time I wasn't yet born to. I'm thankful tonight for my family and my heavenly Father!