“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

 White as Bleach

We had just returned from a trip out of town. Why is it that simply leaving the house causes laundry to multiply upon your return? In addition to the unpacking of the van, cleaning out the drive-through meal remnants of trash, and restoring the trip inventory back to its rightful home, there is inevitably, always, LAUNDRY. One more thing—we were out of essentials such as milk, and a few errands needed to be taken care of.

So off I went to the grocery store after starting the first load of said laundry. Not expecting any laundry follow-up to happen in my absence, I planned to resume and finish it when I returned.

Much to my (temporary) delight, I returned to find that my load was drying and a second load running! That is until I discovered that my husband ran a load of whites as the second load. Mind you, there were still two or three loads left to do of NON-whites. Instead of being unhesitantly grateful for the effort and laundry contribution, I expressed my irritation at whites being run (with bleach) in the middle of my laundry task! I made sure my husband knew that I always wait to run whites until the end so that there was no chance of bleach ending up in a dotted fashion on a favorite shirt, etc. At the same time, I could see his deflated demeanor at my insensitive comments.

I was reminded of the encouragement of a dear sister in the LORD that we must keep short accounts with God. Our dear Holy Spirit got hold of my heart quickly and I recognized my sin of ingratitude and criticism. I confessed the sin in my heart, and instead thanked my husband for recognizing a need and helping to lighten the “load.”

I love how His Word continually uses practical physical attributes to make points! Just like how white my laundry was getting from the bleach, His forgiveness made my sin even whiter. White as snow! “They shall be as wool,” prompted me to look up the attributes of wool:

  • Tenacity – it is a complicated weak fiber
  • Elasticity and resiliency
  • Conductivity of heat
  • Also keeps you cool
  • Fiber absorbency
  • Mildew and mold resistant
  • Fire resistant
  • Moisture wicking

These qualities tell me that by God making our sin “as wool,” He desires us to keep short accounts, so that we can have all kinds of beneficial qualities in our lives.

Ah, Heavenly Father, I know that You intend this lesson to have lasting results as I am reminded of Your forgiveness each time I perform the task of doing laundry. I am also reminded of the importance to be more grateful and less critical. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit and Your Word!