Clothes Line Wisdom

My recent dryer troubles have lead me to string a clothes line.
What was your last experience with a clothes line? Did you mother send you out to hang or gather clothes on the line? My memories of a clothes line revolve around Levi's that took a lot of time in the dryer and if you dried them in the dryer they were too tight. We did not usually have a full fledged clothes line in the yard. Usually it was a small one in the laundry room.

As I have stood out in the yard hanging clothes on my four clothes lines I have listened to the birds, enjoyed the fresh air, and I have done some thinking.
Do we really need all of these clothes? Really? Not to mention all of the household linens? I filled an entire line with dish towels and dish cloths. I love dish towels and dish clothes and I loved the crispness of the smooth cotton towels as they came off of the line. The neatness in the drawer after I folded them.
I feel similarly as I fold the warm crisp t-shirts and put them into the basket.
But, do we really need so many clothes? Do we really need so much in our lives?

Malachi prophesied that the hearts of the children would turn to the fathers.
Is this what I am feeling as I look to the old ways that things have been done and feel a reverence? I believe so. Of course there is a lot of meaning in this scripture, but I believe this is some of it.
Malachi 4:5-6

I think all of us crave simplicity do we not? Whether or not we are able to completely impose that sort of simplicity upon our lives or not, we crave the lack of worldliness. We crave a life like that of our fore bearers. We crave simpler times as we face the difficult trials of this modern crazy world. A world that tells us we need to run faster and have more.

Do you like me crave hand knitted dish clothes? Do you smile at the sight of home canned peaches resting on a towel and glowing as the afternoon sunlight comes through the window and shines through them? Do you think about the things that your mother and grandmother did for you? Does the memory of a granny square afghan make you smile?

Satan tells us that the hustled pace of this world is the only way. Well, it is not. Consider carefully the things of old. Consider carefully slowing your pace, if only just a little bit. Slow down and consider giving some of those clothes to charity. Consider not buying that next DVD. Consider sitting down with your family for dinner sometime this week. Consider if you will the wisdom of the clothes line.