My Old Sweatshirt

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+27:6&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+17:17&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2018:1&version=NASB

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+23:16&version=NIV

I have an old sweatshirt.  It was won by my son Luke in a Pepsi contest 15 years ago.  The ironic thing is that, at the time, I used to drink a lot of Pepsi.  By the time he’d moved out of the house and given the sweatshirt to me, I’d since switched to Sprite, which is a Coke product!  Oh well.

The sweatshirt is huge.  At least it is on me.  It’s an XL.  It is the only thing that I have in my entire wardrobe that is XL.  Most of my shirts & sweatshirts are M.  (I get made fun of by the rest of my family for this.)  The good thing about the size is that I can wear 3 or 4 other layers of shirts and sweatshirts underneath it.  Like when I put the Christmas lights up on our roof the first Saturday in November.  Or when I am winterizing stuff around the house in the late Fall.  It’s old.  And slightly ripped.  So I don’t mind if it gets dirty or torn.  It’s my do-anything-you-want-to-do-in-it sweatshirt.
                                       
But I also use it for something else.  Removing wrinkles.  That’s right.  Removing wrinkles.  I know I’ve got your curiosity aroused now.  You see, sometimes my shirts or pants get wrinkled.  Maybe too many clothes were folded and placed on top of each other.  Or maybe they got squished together too tightly in my closet.  So if I find one of my articles of clothing is wrinkled, rather than using an iron (I seriously don’t trust myself with one!) I simply throw said article of clothing into the dryer, along with my Pepsi sweatshirt, and turn on the dryer.  For 10 minutes or so.  (This is beginning to sound like a recipe!)  After the clothes have tumbled in the hot dryer for a little while most, if not all, of the wrinkles have been removed.  I then put the article of clothing on.  And I hang up the sweatshirt on a hook in the laundry room.  Until the next time that I need to unwrinkle something.  At this point, my old sweatshirt is responsible for removing the wrinkles from literally hundreds of articles of clothing.  It’s the most valuable piece of clothing I own!

The way this works is simple.  (I must give credit where credit is due here.  I learned this ‘trick’ from my wife.  I am quick to adopt ideas that actually work.)  When I put the wrinkled article of clothing in the dryer along with my sweatshirt, the weight of the sweatshirt and the constant tumbling action, combined with the heat, removes the wrinkles.  Like magic.  If, however, I were to put the wrinkled article of clothing in the dryer by itself none of the wrinkles would be removed.  So the sweatshirt is invaluable in helping to remove wrinkles.

The reality is that there are some people in our lives who are like sandpaper.  Man, do they rub us the wrong way.  (Hopefully you’re not married to one!)  God uses them to do some heavy-duty sanding in our lives.  To teach us some hard lessons.  To perform some major surgery.  But then there are other people.  People who are like my old sweatshirt.  They are soft.  Likable.   Lovable.  Through constant interaction with them in the everydayness of life, they help  remove some of our wrinkles.  Not physical wrinkles.  (We only wish!)  They help remove some of our personality wrinkles.  A bad habit becomes less apparent.  Or disappears entirely.  A good habit appears.  Or gets stronger.  Ever so slowly and gently, God uses them to have a positive effect upon us.  We become more like Jesus.  The reality is that since these people are so gentle and loving, we hardly even notice their effect upon our lives.  But over a period of time the change is quite noticeable.  And we’re amazed.  Who knew?

So, look around you.  Who are the ‘old sweatshirts’ in your life?  Who are the people who graciously and lovingly continue to shape and mold you?  Thank God for them.  And let them know how much you appreciate them.  How much you owe them for the kind of person you’ve become.  One more thing.  Resolve to be the ‘old sweatshirt’ in someone elses life.  Be real.  Be honest.  But also be gracious.  Humble.  Loving.  Forgiving.  Allow God to use you in an almost unnoticeable way to help remove the wrinkles from their life.

Lord, I thank you for the lesson that You’ve taught me through my old sweatshirt.  I thank you for the people who play that role in my life.  I appreciate them so much.  And I appreciate You for placing them in my life.  Continue to use these people to further unwrinkle my spirit.  And, in turn, use me to help unwrinkle others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.