If you drive down the winding roads of the deep heart of the country, you may pass by yards with freshly washed laundry drying in the sunshine on a clothesline. Observing the laundry waving in the breeze reminds me of simplicity and slowness, which many of us long for on busy days. Fast-paced, full days can often invite the overwhelm, even though we didn’t invite it. Fast-paced can make us feel like we’re tumbling. It’s as if we’re cycling through the dryer when all we want to do is finish the laundry.

What if we can stop the cycles of tumbling, though? What if we could go back to the day when we greet the sunshine and breeze and hang the fresh laundry on the clothesline?

Growing up, I have to admit, I despised the clothesline. We had one for a few years. I didn’t find the task of pinning each shirt and towel appealing. Embracing the breeze didn’t even cross my mind. I most likely grumbled because the dryer wasn’t working again. All I wanted to do was finish the laundry to get on to better things.

We want to get to the better things, but we also know that the other things must be done. Rushing to get to the next thing can sometimes cause us to miss out on the richness of the present thing.

Nothing is exciting about laundry, but in the process of the mundane, I know that God speaks the same. It doesn’t matter what or where – His presence is always with us. As I remind myself of this, I ask myself, ‘Can God reveal something to me in that moment?’ I trust that He will.

I especially sensed this a couple of weeks ago. On a rainy Sunday, I enjoyed relaxing on the front porch with my sidekick, a.k.a. Hazel, one of my German Shepherds. There were things unfinished, but I reminded myself that it’s okay to sit and let the agenda go. I think Hazel and I were both enjoying the sound of the rain. As I listened to the rain and the breeze moving through the trees, I embraced the moment of being still. Stillness invites simplicity.

How do we finish and finish well? How do we extract the goodness from the rush and full days?

Slow Your Pace

First and foremost, we have to slow our pace. Simple, but isn’t simplicity what seems to bring the calm? When our life is past-paced, we may think the dryer is the best option to get us through faster. For our laundry, I have to say, I’m going with the dryer, but when I think about when my days get too full, I want to pause, and smile when I think about the clothes slowly drying in the breeze. Could it be that sometimes we need the breeze, the pause, or the slower process to be interwoven in our days? Perhaps the overwhelm would disappear. Would we notice the goodness that God wants us to see? To hear? To share?

What If It’s Unfinished?

As we slow our pace, we must remind ourselves it’s okay to leave some things unfinished. I am not saying give up or quit, but we can get to some of those things later. What does God want you to focus on finishing right now? What can wait?

I get it, maybe you want to finish, but you can’t because you keep thinking of all the other things before you. I seem to find myself in this exact spot a lot. I want to leap past it all, but I don’t feel like I can.

Some things must remain unfinished so you can lean toward what God is calling you to finish. (I must remind myself that the laundry, among other things on my list, can wait.)

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Psalm 46:10-11 NASB)

When I am trying too much, I can lose focus from the One who has it all under control. I admit, I can aim for perfection, which only leads me into a cycle of worry. The truth is, there will be times when things will have to be unfinished. It doesn’t mean that completion will not come later, but in the present, we have to shift our focus to what matters most in this right-now moment. Know this – God is all-powerful and is with us.

So, back to the question – how do we finish well? I am inspired by Moses. Building the tabernacle took much dedication and time. Completion is not so much about getting to the finish line. Instead, it’s a journey and a process. Yet, when the work is finally finished, a powerful sense of assurance and fulfillment arises.

“Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and alter and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.” (Exodus 40:33)

Moses took everyday things – like building materials and furniture for the tabernacle and made them holy, relying entirely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit guides us toward holiness, we find completion. The unfinished things that can wait will align with what God truly wants us to complete right now. Then, we will finish well.

If you find your days fast, can you literally or figuratively take a drive through the country to admire the clothesline filled with laundry, drying in the sunshine instead of tumbling through the regular cycle of the dryer?

What can the stillness speak to your heart if your days seem too slow?

What do you need to leave as unfinished, and what does God want you to focus on finishing well?