Confessions of a Peace Lover...

I've been thinking a lot about garbage lately, or perhaps I've simply been thinking about a lot of garbage! Real, and figuratively, a family of seven can create a lot of garbage. Our recycling bag is full and my hubby has been making lots of trips to the dumpster to get rid of all the trash that's been generated as we celebrated Christmas, New Years, and Clay's 9^th birthday!

Nice thing to be talking about on a brisk January morning, eh? Well, bear with me. All the garbage that my husband has worked so hard to keep under control has made me think about the garbage of life. Can you relate? Do you keep a garbage can in your life? I'm not talking about the one in our kitchen or garage, the one that gets emptied regularly.

The one I'm talking about is a garbage can for our emotions. It's a garbage can filled with hurts and offenses. Instead of dumping the garbage and washing out the can on a regular basis we sometimes chose to allow it to accumulate; we keep a lid on it and hope we never have to deal with the junk at the bottom of the can. For whatever reason, reasons maybe even we don't fully understand, we just don't want to, or perhaps simply cannot, get rid of all the stuff we've placed in that can.

Every once and a while it gets too full, and those closest to us see the mess that spills out and smell the stink it causes - but we deal with it, cleaning up the worst of it, perhaps dumping out a little of it, and maybe even sticking a "religious-renuzit" on the lid so those who get too close won't realize just how full our can is or how badly it's beginning to smell.

And yet we keep adding to it, little by little. We just keep it close to our hearts so we can slip things in when others aren't looking, and tamp things down if the lid threatens to pop off again.

Sometimes we even let other folks dump their garbage in our can, we store it for them, and if they seem to have forgotten about that garbage we know just where to find it, just in case they need to be reminded about how rotten their garbage was.

We may even feel good about being the garbage can for our family and friends 'cause we're useful and needed. Every messy situation needs a dumpster you know!

The thing is, keeping a garbage can close to my heart, for myself, or for others, can result in a very negative outlook on life. Let's face it most folks don't store precious pearls in a garbage can. Not much fresh fruit gets stored in there either.

The worst thing is, when garbage isn't handled properly it can become a landfill. We don't want to live life without a garbage can, but we really don't want to live next to a landfill either...let alone live life in the middle of one.

A garbage can is very necessary. But we need to be wise in what we receive, we need to recognize that some garbage can be recycled into something useful, and we need to remember to empty and clean the can frequently!

Are you living life with your own personal garbage can full of hurts and offenses? If you're unsure ask yourself this question: "When is the last time someone offended me?" Do you have an answer? Does a face (or faces) come to mind? Are some of the offenses from the past week, month, year, decade? If you can remember who offended you and when and what about, chances are you've been storing that in your own personal garbage can.

Store it too long and the hurts and offenses can become toxic; a poison that invades your life - body, mind, and soul.

Do yourself and those you love a favor. Start talking to God about your garbage! Ask Him to help you dump that trash once and for all. Ask Him to show you what can be recycled into something useful, even beautiful. Ask Him to help you get rid of the garbage on a daily basis.

A dear friend once said "It is as if God puts a beautiful white tablecloth over the trash can of our hearts and helps us deal with the 'garbage' we have stored there one issue at a time." Only my friend didn't call it garbage, she called it by its real name - sin. That's usually what we like to keep in the trash cans of our hearts, the stuff we haven't forgiven others for, the stuff we haven't forgiven ourselves for. The stuff we have placed aside to keep for ourselves instead of placing it at the foot of the cross for God to deal with once and for all.

There's an old hymn that talks about being washed "whiter than snow". January is a good month to understand that word picture! It's also a good month to allow God to wash the garbage cans we've been storing our hurts in, "whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow, now wash me and I will be whiter than snow!"

"Lord Jesus I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul,

Break down every idol, cast out every foe;

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow;

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."

James Nicholson; William G. Fischer

Until next time.

Beth