Taking the Trash Out

                                Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
                                                    along with every form of malice.
                                                            (Ephesians 4:31, NIV)

Normally, I don’t take the kitchen trash out. I am blessed to be married to a man who thinks this is a “man’s job.” Hallelujah for gender inequality! Gary was very diligent in training our three boys, so he wouldn’t have to take it out either.

During his recovery from heart surgery, Gary was restricted from lifting anything weighing more than a glass of water, so I was responsible for taking out the trash. I really hate that job, so I “accidentally” overlooked it for several days. Boy it can pile up fast. It was at maximum capacity and starting to spill over.

When I lifted the lid the foul stench hit me and I thought, ‘Did something die in there?’ Choking from the odor, I looked down at all the nastiness and struggled to pull the bag out of the can. The one thing that has always surprised me about garbage is how much there is, and how quickly it can add up.

We need to make sure we stay on top of our cleaning... in both our houses and our lives, because whatever is in our heart, will eventually overflow into our life, and be displayed through our words and actions. I’d like to think I have the heart of Jesus and, I don’t collect garbage in my spirit. But, the reality is I do – we all do. Over time we collect trash in our hearts – anger, envy, pride, greed, lust, jealousy – and, it begins to overfill and create a stench in our lives. Some of this debris, we can take out on our own, but most of it requires the power of the Holy Spirit to clean us out.

Some times during my prayer time, I imagine the Holy Spirit bagging up all the trash in my spirit and taking it out. I encourage you the next time you are in prayer to take a few moments and have the Holy Spirit doing the same for you.

Prayer: Dear God, by your Holy Spirit rid us of the trash in our lives that we may have clean hearts and spirits. In Christ’s name. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee