Underwear on the Kitchen Floor

by Sarah V. (used with permission)

After breakfast this morning, I was cleaning up and discovered that one of my boys had left his underwear under the table. WHAT??? How in the world did underwear end up on the kitchen floor? I'm pretty sure no one got changed in the kitchen this morning, and nearly all of the laundry is clean and put away (which if I'm honest, is unusual).

I thought maybe I should investigate further, so I asked all the boys if they had underwear on. They did. Whew! But after further contemplation, I decided I really did not want to uncover the path the underwear took to arrive unknowingly at our feet under the kitchen table. How embarrassing to have (probably dirty) underwear on the kitchen floor. I'm glad we didn't have company this morning!

But what if we did have company and someone saw that underwear, what would they think? Would they judge me as a poor mother for not monitoring the paths of underwear in this house? Would they come to conclusions about my children being immodest? Would they compare the state of their house with the state of my house and decide that because they had no underwear on the floor that they were superior to me? There are many people who would arrive at just such conclusions. But they would all be wrong. You see, we all have underwear on our kitchen floors. Our lives are not completely pretty and put together. Even people who put on airs have very serious flaws that they try to hide. I have found in life that those people who try to judge the most are exactly the people who have the most serious flaws. Their desire to be better than everyone else is a dead giveaway that their hearts are dirty and in need of a good scrub.

So the next time someone puts you down or sends a judgmental look your way, remember, we all have dirty underwear on our kitchen floors. And their attitude toward you is a reflection of their heart, not yours. Striving to follow God in all that you do is what matters most. Setting a godly example to a lost world does not require you to be perfect. Instead, it requires your heart to be devoted to God, always striving to do what is right, but acknowledging that on our own we fail and fall short.

Yes, I had dirty underwear on my kitchen floor this morning. Gross. I picked it up and washed it. Thank you God, for giving me a washing machine. God, I pray that You too will scrub my heart whenever it gets dirty.

Matthew 7:1-5 says, “Do not judge other people. Then you will not be judged. You will be judged in the same way you judge others. You will be measured in the same way you measure others. You look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye. But you pay no attention to the piece of wood in your own eye. How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye’? How can you say this while there is a piece of wood in your own eye? You pretender! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see clearly to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.”

Sarah and her husband have six children under the age of 12, 2 dogs, and way too much laundry! When they aren't busy with school, sports, and church, Sarah enjoys exploring northern Michigan and camping with her family.

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