Friendship is always as beautiful as fresh snow.
Our washing machine died this weekend. It’s been limping for awhile, but the spin cycle finally stopped working completely and you know what happens then. The clothes come out literally dripping. I would have to go through three dryer cycles to get them dry.
Of course, this is the absolute worse time of the year to have to replace a major appliance. Furthermore, I had saved almost a week’s worth of laundry for the weekend, so there were piles in the laundry room as tall as I am. I had a ton of errands planned, so the last thing I wanted to do was shop for a new washing machine.
But, shop we did. We went to Lowe’s and found a set on sale, still ridiculously high, in my opinion. Although they offer next day delivery, they were booked due to Christmas, so they couldn’t deliver it until Monday afternoon. I kind of sulked on the way home at the inconvenience of it all. I realized that I would have to call a friend and ask her if I could do a load of laundry at her house.
Now, I love to offer help, but I hate to ask for it. I don’t know why. It’s pride I suppose. I just really like to feel completely self-sufficient. No one can live their life that way. We are not set up that way. We were created for community. We are supposed to depend on one another. It’s part of our design.
I called a friend as soon as we got home to ask the favor. She didn’t hesitate. Of course it was okay that I needed to use her washer. She had her own errands and crazy schedule and she wasn’t sure she would be around, but she would be happy to leave me a key.
Just like that, no questions were asked. It struck me at that moment that as much as I like to help others, they probably get the same enjoyment out of helping me. If I never ask for help, then I am depriving them of a chance to serve. Pride made the list of Seven Deadly Sins. I think I should probably work on that.
It turned out that she was home on Sunday afternoon and she made me a cup of coffee. We spent an hour or so catching up. It was relaxing and fun and needed. Sure, I had a bunch to do, but I’m working on putting people, not things first.
As I watch for God this season, I so often find Him, in the faces of friends who I have known for years. While I can’t say I’m happy about the washing machine dying, I can say that the entire incident has made me even more thankful for friendship. It has also made me ask myself how I am doing at allowing others to serve me. How about you? How are you doing? Feel free to share.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂