I never knew how much junk a person could accumulate until I was faced with the task of moving it. I mean, how can one person collect so much stuff in such a little time? One time I sat down and counted how many times I had moved in my whole life, and I think the resounding number came to 27. Can you believe that? Who moves 27 times in their lifetime? Sometimes I think God wanted me to move just so I would sort through my things. I always seem to think I will need it one day or I might use something again. This might be true, but in all honesty, if a person does not touch something for at least a year it is not worth saving. Not to mention someone else might need what we don’t. Not everything is valuable stuff though. Sometimes its just added unneeded weight that will ultimately make a move a nightmare. Why do we save things so easily anyway? I mean, we really can’t take it with us, can we?
Have you ever thought about how you might be doing the same thing with life experiences and difficulties? Do you tend to hang on to a bunch of trash from the past and even the present? Don’t you wish a big old dump truck could pull up one day and just collect all of your inner trash for good? If only you could pull it all out, gather it in a ball, dump it into a dumpster, and wave good bye as the truck drives away. That way there is no heavy load to weigh you down when you encounter the rest of life. But, it is not all that easy, is it? Just like the accumulated junk we tend to save in our homes, we also tend to save junk in our internal caves and canyons. Its only a matter of time when the mounds of stagnated emotion and experience will tend to pour out into present life. Eventually life becomes bogged down with the muck and mire from the past and God begins to call for a troop movement! Are you at that point when past garbage begins to seep through your pores so much that you can’t seem to get anywhere in life? Don’t kid yourself, it will happen if you don’t begin to sort and dump. Sometimes we tend to even get used to our past trash and we just let it sit comfy on the same couch as our present experiences. Anyone smell burning rubber? Darn it, I do! That would be your friends running in the opposite direction! Before you get your feelings in a huff here, think about it. If life is not working out so well right now, no matter what you do, maybe it is time for a little moral inventory. Believe me, it will help to clean out your life if you work on it. Here is the clincher though; you have got to want it bad enough to make the move and continue to sort and dump. How bad do you want your life to become lighter and a bit easier? Maybe you would like a fresh start. We all need that sometimes.
Let me give you some things to jump start your process.
Start with what should be the obvious. Who have you truly not forgiven? Be honest here! No one is watching accept God and He knows anyway. Now ask yourself; do you really want to drag this person into every single argument, every single missed opportunity, every single relationship, or even lack of one? Yep, UN-forgiveness can cause you to lack relationships too! Think about this; how much power do you want to give this person who is so hard to forgive? If you take inventory and realize you still drag them around then evidently you want to give them too much power. Did I hear you balk at this? Come on darlin’ you know you are holding on if you still feel a sense of anger or disruption in your mind space, not to mention your life. Dump it gal! Dump it now! How about this, write the person’s name on a piece of paper, and tell that person they are forgiven for whatever transpired between you. Then crumple it all up and give it the royal flush! You can forgive their actions and still love the person. Although, bottom line, if they are not good for you give the spiritual wave good bye. If they were meant to be in your life, God would have them there front and center. Finalize this and repeat after me, “Dear God, I forgive _____and today I let them go into Your hands”.
How about your past mistakes? Have you forgiven yourself and let go of the things you wish you could have done better? Did you know that hanging on to your past mistakes can hinder you from achieving some of your fondest goals? Let’s get rid of that little road block right now! God wants you to be successful! Lets chip at the wall here, “Dear God forgive me for ___________ and help me to forgive myself. I release that experience into Your hands right now”.
This is a great beginning!
If you truly want to experience the kind of freedom God ordained for you to have, then dump the trash as often as you can remember. Your life will change! Guaranteed!
From one dump along to another,
Pastor Jenine Marie Howry
** Photo credit: North Coast Journal
Life Lessons by Jenine Marie 