Last Friday, the village that I live in had their annual spring “Garbage Day”. What this means is they have the normal weekly garbage pickup and then they would have an additional pick up day (on a Saturday) where they didn’t have a limit on how much garbage you could put out or what types of things they would take (the only restrictions were no paint cans, no batteries, and no electronics). It’s kind of an interesting concept because all day Friday people in town are dragging out their trash and junk to line the curb and throughout the day you’ll see cars and trucks and even trailers driving around town picking up items to upcycle or recycle for cash. You know that saying, some people’s trash is another person’s treasure- that definitely applies here. Some years most of the stuff I put out is gone before it’s even the actual garbage day!
Garbage day this year fell at the perfect time as I am getting ready to leave in less than a month and my brother and his (soon to be) wife will be moving into my house to rent from me while I’m on The World Race. It was the perfect opportunity to clean out my garage and my porch and other storage places in my home to free up some space for them to move in! The problem was, most of the stuff that I ended up putting out there was stuff I could have put out on a “normal” garbage day and could have already dealt with. You see, sometimes I can be lazy. It’s true. Sometimes I put up with stuff or keep stuff way longer than I should just because I don’t want to take the time or the effort to do something about it. Most of the stuff I ended up putting out for garbage day included things like 25 cardboard boxes that had been stacked in my garage (empty) throughout the years and plastic totes of junk that I had stored for years without opening or using. Some of the things I put out had even been with me since college which means they have been moved from Indiana to my parents home to my home throughout the last 6 years and were never thrown away. To be honest, this happens more often than it should. I’m not a hoarder by any means, but there are times when piles of junk mail or old magazines stay on my coffee table much longer than they need to be. There are times I put things in storage that don’t need to be in storage but would be more fitting at Goodwill or the trash can. There are even times where I take my garbage out to the can but not down to the street to be picked up (sometimes I can get away with this since I live alone and don’t have too much garbage each week.. but still).
Oftentimes Jesus speaks to me in pictures and stories that I can relate to and He did this through my garbage day. He showed me that He is kind of like our spiritual/emotional garbage man. You see, Jesus wants to take away the trash from our lives. He wants to rid us of the things that make us uncomfortable or feel burdened. He’ll take away our fear or anger or jealousy or lust. He’ll walk us through our depression or anxiety or rage. He’ll remove our temptations or weaknesses or selfishness. Jesus wants to remove any sin and shame and regret from our lives. He doesn’t want us to live with the things that make us feel weighed down. He’s already dealt with them. He’s already overcome them on the cross and won the battles that we’re fighting daily to conquer.
But He can’t just take it from us. Just like the garbage man comes every week wether there is garbage there or not, Jesus is ready and waiting for us. But He doesn’t just magically make them all go away. It’s up to us to ask Him to reveal the areas in our lives that we need to turn over to Him. It’s our job to put in the work to identify our struggles and limitations and to willingly place them at His feet and to repent and turn from them and walk away. He’ll take them away. Sometimes we get lazy, though. Sometimes we’re content with our trash. Sometimes we go for long periods of time living with it and dealing with it and we get used to it being there. Sometimes we put it into storage so it’s there just in case. Sometimes we don’t even notice it anymore because it’s been around for so long it barely even bothers us. Jesus can cleanse us and restore us, but first we have to take out the trash.
Is there any garbage in your life that you’ve become content with? Are there areas spiritually or emotionally where you have let fear, anger, jealousy, sin, selfishness, judgement, lust, shame, or any other burdens weigh you down? If you need a spiritual or emotional “Garbage Day” I ask you to declare it today. Lay it down at Jesus’ feet and claim victory over the areas that He has already defeated. Don’t live in defeat when He is calling you to be a conqueror.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Cast all your anxiety (and trash) on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:37
