Yesterday was trash day. I couldn't wait for trash day because the week before, we'd completely missed both trash days (a clear sign of mom-brain). My garage had become so smelly that I didn't even want to open the door anymore for fear it would contaminate the air in my house.
So before heading out the door to Bible Study, I made sure to take the trash to the curb. By the time I got home, our trashcans had been emptied (smell and all).
While at the church, I had a conversation with a friend about our "junk"- the things in our lives that we are holding on to and I related it to the trash I'd forgotten to take care of last week.
Sometimes, we don't realize that we haven't gotten all of the trash to the curb. Maybe a small trashcan got missed somewhere in one of the bathrooms. Over time, that trashcan will start to smell and can really create some issues for the rest of the house.
When you finally track down the smell, not only do you usually have to take out the bag, but by then it's usually time to scrub the entire trashcan.
The same is true for our lives. Sometimes we bring out all of our junk . We bring it all to the big trashcan, and we think the work is done. We've talked about it. We've "processed" it. It's done, right?
Wrong.
I deal with some pretty tough stuff sometimes. Some of my friends are dealing with stuff that makes my "trash" look like daisies. Never-the-less, my trash is my trash. If I carry it around, it causes a foul odor in my life.
But if I (occasionally with the help of family and friends) "take out the trash", I don't have to bear that burden any more. If I take it to the bigger trash can- if I start working through some of it, but I don't ever take that bigger dumpster to the curb, it's not really gone. I've just begun working through it.
But when I take it to the curb, (when I surrender,) I leave it there. Why? Because we've learned from experience that when we leave the trash on the curb, the trash guys will come and pick it up.
So I wonder- how many times have I carried my trash to the curb and then dragged it back inside my garage- maggots and all?
There is a God out there who wants to free me from these struggles- from this junk. He wants to take these burdens off of my shoulders. He says if I "put it on the curb" and leave it there for Him, He will be faithful to bring me peace and healing- He'll give forgiveness where necessary and I'll finally be able to sit in my own home and... just breathe- without the stench of my past hurts, regrets, fears, disappointments, and sins lingering in the air.
So I share all of that to say this-
It's trash day, folks...
So before heading out the door to Bible Study, I made sure to take the trash to the curb. By the time I got home, our trashcans had been emptied (smell and all).
While at the church, I had a conversation with a friend about our "junk"- the things in our lives that we are holding on to and I related it to the trash I'd forgotten to take care of last week.
Sometimes, we don't realize that we haven't gotten all of the trash to the curb. Maybe a small trashcan got missed somewhere in one of the bathrooms. Over time, that trashcan will start to smell and can really create some issues for the rest of the house.
When you finally track down the smell, not only do you usually have to take out the bag, but by then it's usually time to scrub the entire trashcan.
The same is true for our lives. Sometimes we bring out all of our junk . We bring it all to the big trashcan, and we think the work is done. We've talked about it. We've "processed" it. It's done, right?
Wrong.
I deal with some pretty tough stuff sometimes. Some of my friends are dealing with stuff that makes my "trash" look like daisies. Never-the-less, my trash is my trash. If I carry it around, it causes a foul odor in my life.
But if I (occasionally with the help of family and friends) "take out the trash", I don't have to bear that burden any more. If I take it to the bigger trash can- if I start working through some of it, but I don't ever take that bigger dumpster to the curb, it's not really gone. I've just begun working through it.
But when I take it to the curb, (when I surrender,) I leave it there. Why? Because we've learned from experience that when we leave the trash on the curb, the trash guys will come and pick it up.
So I wonder- how many times have I carried my trash to the curb and then dragged it back inside my garage- maggots and all?
There is a God out there who wants to free me from these struggles- from this junk. He wants to take these burdens off of my shoulders. He says if I "put it on the curb" and leave it there for Him, He will be faithful to bring me peace and healing- He'll give forgiveness where necessary and I'll finally be able to sit in my own home and... just breathe- without the stench of my past hurts, regrets, fears, disappointments, and sins lingering in the air.
So I share all of that to say this-
It's trash day, folks...
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
1 Peter 5:7