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Mom taught me how to iron clothes.

Since we had no television while I was growing up, Saturday mornings usually found me ironing the pillowcases and dish towels mom had laundered, starched, and rolled up in a large plastic bag. This would keep them moist while awaiting their appointed time with the iron.

Until I was tall enough to reach the ironing board while standing, we used a combo “high chair” and stepstool with two squeaky steps. Maybe it was early onset OCD, but I grew to enjoy transforming those moist wrinkled items into dry smooth works of art.

Now that I’m grown—except for the periodic break when I take my clothes to the cleaners—I don’t mind ironing my own clothes. As a child, we didn’t have the luxury of a steam iron, so we kept the clothes moist and smoothed their wrinkles with a simple iron that had a cool handle and a hot base. But today’s new and improved models feature so many fancy knobs, buttons, and settings that it requires an instruction booklet.

One of the safety features on new irons is a cut-off mechanism when the iron is inactive. When I'm ironing, the green “in use” light is on, and the iron performs smoothly and effectively. However, when I get distracted and leave it standing inactive for a short while, the green light blinks off and the iron shuts off. This is by design so I don’t burn the house down.

As I ironed my business shirts one day, God showed me how I am like that iron when I’m supposed to be doing something for Him. While I’m active and busy, He supplies the power, energy, and enthusiasm to complete the task. When I get distracted, forget my priorities, and become discouraged, my spiritual “in use” light blinks off and I lose His power and my enthusiasm and effectiveness.

Jesus said we were to let our lights shine. God usually won’t show you the longer pathway until you are taking the steps He's already shown you. Whether He's convicted you to stop something or inspired you to start something, get busy doing it or you may be stuck for a while with your “in use” button off and your iron growing cold.

Don’t let anything or anyone keep your light for God from shining. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)