I washed a feather bed pillow this week – it did not go as planned. I have washed other feather pillows I’ve owned but this one apparently was covered in a semi-waterproof fabric. When I tried to remove the pillow from the washer it was about double its normal size and completely filled with air and water.
Naturally I tried the drain cycle again to see if that would cure the problem but that material worked fairly well to retain all the water that had penetrated into fabric. I now had a five pound feather pillow filled with air and water that was the shape of a rather large balloon.
Figuring I could do no further damage I wrestled the pillow out of the washer, took it outside, placed it on a slatted chair, and began using pressure to squeeze the water through the waterproof fabric and the seams. It took a bit of effort but I got most of the moisture and air out and also watered my patio in the process. I put the pillow in the dryer for about 40 minutes – a start but it wasn’t enough.
The day was young and the sun was out so I took the pillow back outside and hung it on the clothes line with a nice strong pole to hold it up and let it the wind and sun do their work. In the evening when I brought it inside and sniffed, it smelled like wet feathers. It was still not quite dry.
I tried another 40 minutes in the dryer but deep inside the feathers were still damp and so I used another pillow for the night and let that one hang over the towel rack under the air conditioning duct hoping to dehumidify it. No, that didn’t work either.
The next morning I put it back in the dryer – this time with a dryer sheet. I hated to do that as I have a sensitive nose but this nose was really tired of smelling wet duck feathers. Another 40 minutes or so and I finally have a dry, normal sized, sweet smelling pillow.
Was this a learning moment, was this something to keep me busy, did I do this just to save the cost of another pillow? Who knows, it might be a combination of all three. God rules every part of my world so I considered what it might be. I’ll admit I’m tight with my cash because I want to make sure I use my resources in a way that gives God glory and also honors His giving to me, so I really didn’t want to buy a new pillow. But, did I learn anything?
As I considered the enormously bloated pillow I thought about how bloated our communications are today. In news, conversations, and even magazine articles have you noticed the increase of superlative (see there is one) adjectives and adverbs?
We must be a bored people or possibly our writers are bored. We read about giant mountains when there are only hills in sight. We hear of major destruction in minor natural events. We are bloated with gigantic words and enormous thoughts. Everything is bigger, better, worse, or less this time than ever before.
I thought, isn’t it lovely that God gave us the plain truth in His Word. It isn’t bloated, it isn’t fattened up, in fact most of us would like a few more facts for instance, was Peter, the Rock, tall or short, skinny or fat? Those facts we don’t know but what we do know is that the words God has given us are indeed fact. God tells us how the earth, sky, moon, stars, animals, plants and man were formed.
His words are true. But, to say we believe God’s words we must admit there is a God. Wouldn’t that just take the bloat right out of some of us? Our pride in ourselves is bloating us right out of living the best life we ever could.
God made the universe, God has a plan for every individual He creates, and God is love. What more do we need to know. Oh there is one other thing, by the way, we are not God.
God is as clear as our hand in front of our face, or as the sun, sand, and ocean. Don’t listen to the bloated ones speculating otherwise.
To counter some of the bloating we receive daily via e-mail, news sources, and in person I believe our best antidote is to spend time with God in His word, reinforcing what is true and what truth is, so that we recognize and can dismiss the bloating when we encounter it.
As I sleep soundly tonight with my sweet smelling pillow, I pray that all of us who call ourselves Christian will get out our Bibles and hear God speaking to us clearly so we can squeeze the bloating out of our lives and focus on Him.
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.
