OUR STORY Part 69: IT ALL COMES OUT IN THE WASH

Last week we had an upright high efficiency washer and dryer set with which we were able to do our laundry in the comfort of our own home. But this week; well it's an entirely different story now. 

The washer and dryer were sold at the estate sale and the house is no longer a home but an empty echo chamber consisting of the very remnants of our lives, and many years of long hard work. The house is now nothing more than an empty fish bowl and constant painful reminder that the "house of healing" is now nothing more than a pipe dream; stolen from us at pen point.

Last night Mike and I made our first trip to a local laundromat to catch up on the wash. We had to wait until nighttime because it was just too hot outside and we didn't want to sit on the hard chairs listening to a room full of washers and dryers. So after it cooled down we loaded up two laundry bags, detergent, a roll of quarters; and a serving tray and portable Yahtzee game. The wash took two rounds of Yahtzee and the drying just a bit longer.

The whole experience was surreal for the both of us. It's not that we are above going to a laundromat; Mike and I have both lived much of our lives on tight budgets.

Mike grew up a latch key kid living in poverty, and constantly being moved from one apartment building to another. As far back as the age of 7 years old, he was responsible for caring for himself at home all alone while his mother worked as a minimum wage coffee shop waitress. Michael fended for himself until his mom came home; at which time she would toss a frozen dinner in the oven. She never cooked. In the evenings his mom would often go out dancing until all hours of the night leaving Michael home alone again.

There was an occasional abusive step-father in Michael's life; and at the age of seventeen he finally removed himself from an unhealthy environment; dropping out of high school and supporting himself. He worked very hard to pull himself up by his boot straps.

Mike's first real full time employment was in the waterbed industry from which he learned all facets of opening new retail store locations. At 23 years of age he opened his own store that ran successfully for two years and then sold it. Seeking his roots he relocated to Dallas as general sales manager to launch a new start up waterbed company and opened three locations all in malls, running ongoing sales training and motivational meetings until his transition in 1983 into full time marketing and media placement for his own television and radio advertising agency, Mutual Advantage.

So, here we are less than a week after having to sell our washer/dryer; sitting out in the parking lot of the local laundromat. Michael once again returns to his roots here in Texas not only to lose his biological father after just one meeting; but everything he has worked so hard for over the course of 30+ years. Years of honest hard work building towards the support of his family and our retirement; and it's all gone!

The upside to this is that; while our confidence in man has been somewhat obliterated, our faith and confidence in God has grown tremendously. And as I looked in through the windows of the laundromat I sensed the Holy Spirit minister into my heart these words: "In the end, it'll all come out in the wash!" 

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12

God is sovereign; and given such we are confident that He has had a divine plan in this for everyone involved. Perhaps our purpose was not simply that of the refining of our faith; but in the process to serve as an occasion for a kind of "spot removal" in these parts; God providing opportunity for each of those involved to experience conviction, repentance; and to turn from their unethical dealings, or not!

"But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." II Chronicles 36:16

They may have slithered through the legal system unscathed; but none of those involved in this real estate fraud can ultimately escape the mighty hand of a just God. Who of us can? There but for the grace of God go we all!

Zephaniah 3

 ¹Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
 ²She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
 ³Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
 ⁴Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
 ⁵The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

It goes without saying that Michael and I have been damaged by these individuals. Nonetheless, we do not hate them; nor will we allow the seed of unforgiveness to take root in our hearts. Over the past several years we have remained faithful in praying for all of the defendants and their attorneys as the Holy Spirit puts it on our hearts; and we will continue to do so.