Not This Time

July 12, 2023

Most homes have an automatic dishwasher. It was first patented in 1886 by Josephine Cochran, but did not become popular until the 1950’s. Josephine gave a lot of dinner parties, washed a lot of dishes, and after chipping too many plates hand-washing them, she felt compelled to find a better way.

My wife and I don’t use a dishwasher at present. I don’t enjoy washing dishes all that much, but it does give us a chance to use some dishes that are not rated dishwasher-safe. The fine china we received as gifts when we married many years ago is beautiful but did not see much use; the gold rim wouldn’t have lasted through many dishwasher runs.

Standing at the sink washing dishes gives a person time to ponder many things! For instance, how is prayer like washing dishes?

Many people wash a normal amount of dishes by hand, but use a dishwasher for big loads. In the same way, we don’t lean on God for normal problems! If the dishes pile up, we load up the dishwasher. If problems pile up, we turn to God—-“Help!”

Sounds almost like, “I’ve got this, God. I’ll call you if I need you.”

Some problems we’d rather handle ourselves, like fine china. Do we think some problems are too delicate or too precious to trust to God?

It would seem to be easier and smarter to use the dishwasher every day. Think of the time you’d save. Why worry about dirty dishes?

“Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Psalms 116:2

“pray without ceasing,” I Thessalonians 5:17