Dirty Laundry?

For those of you who have ever had to wash your laundry in a tub with a washboard you know what a task you have at hand. Once you toil until your hands are raw, you then must rinse out your clothing and hang it to dry. In some neighborhoods you have the fresh clean breeze to dry your laundry on a line, but in some other parts of the world the air is so dirty that your laundry just ends up giving your neighbors a headache.

Some women have the luxury of using a washing machine and a dryer, others may just go to the local laundry mat and have to invest their quarters in order to get their clothing clean. Then you must fold it all in public while having an audience. That can be quite embarrassing if you’re folding undergarments.

In a private homestead it may be nice to be able to take care of your own dirty laundry without everyone in the town seeing the soiled clothing and becoming ill from the odor, but some people just don’t have that kind of privacy. If you have nosy neighbors you may have them peeking over the fence to get a glimpse of what you’re doing with your laundry. It’s really not their business what clothes you wear or how you soiled them and what they are soiled with.

Some people may even try to hop the fence and come talk to you about your laundry and ask questions. That can be quite intrusive, but even worse is when the neighbor who drags out your dirty laundry to the road side for everyone else in the town to see. Why do people insist on getting involved in everyone else’s laundry pile when we know they have enough of their own to keep up with?

If you have prayed about this article you may understand where I’m going with this. I don’t want to clean your dirty laundry, that’s not my area. I do know who can help you though and that’s the Lord Jesus. All we need to do is keep our eyes on the Lord when we need to get our own clothes cleaned up and He will help us with whatever form of washing we need. Whether we need an old fashioned wash board to work hard over or the machine just needs to be fixed, He can help us.

There’s times when my technique may not work and I may seek the assistance of another person whose laundry seem to be fresh and clean most of the time. In the event that I do so, I do pray that this friend doesn’t decide to tell everyone else what kind of stains I have on my undergarments. It would not be her area to tell the neighborhood that she’s been helping me with my laundry, nor would it be her business to bring it up in a group setting. Sometimes a busybody will casually bring up such topics in a group setting, even without saying names, everyone will know who she’s talking about. When that happens to us we know that we can no longer trust that friend.

Maybe you’re a person who has spilled something on your blouse, but you’re trying to handle it in a more discreet way, but that one woman who thinks she knows how to fix everyone else’s machine is going to reach down and pull it out and attempt to assist you publicly. This kind of friend is no lady, she is a busy body. The Bible calls her a talebearer.

Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.“

Proverbs 20:19, “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.“

The Lord admonishes us to deal with things in a more discreet way.

Proverbs 11:13, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”

He also tells us how to avoid such things.

Proverbs 26:20, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.“

Ladies, any time a matter is occurring within your family, friends, or even online, be a good friend and deal with the matter discreetly. No one wants to see your dirty laundry, nor anyone else’s. The Bible also tells us to warn the simple so that they are to beware of those who would hold out the laundry for everyone else to see.

Proverbs 19:25, “Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.”

A person who puts out information that need not be public is a scorner. Such scorners are to be smitten, which would be a verbal public reprimand for their wicked and manipulative doings. In doing so the neighborhood would be cautioned to not allow that neighbor to enter their back fence. We can learn to handle matters privately and not drag the laundry basket out into the open. Now go home and do your own laundry ladies, and when you have laundry tips to share, don’t make it so obvious that you’re trying to point the bar of soap in someone else’s direction.