Junk Weekend

This past weekend we had a "Clean Up Day" for Minden.  There were some dumpsters where residents could bring appliances, metal, and household junk they had been accumulating.  From the looks of the piles I'd say there was a lot of stuff that had been accumulating around town.  From the looks of the overflowing dumpsters this was something that Minden had been needing to do for the residents, and hopefully it will become a yearly occurrence.  I spoke to a number of people who cleaned up their yard and brought stuff down.  Stuff that had been sitting in their house or yard for years because there was no real practical place for it to go. 

As I finally cleaned up from the construction of the sandbox, the spring storms, and various other little projects around the house I was reflecting on how good it felt to have the backyard all organized and cleaned up again.  I got quite a sense of accomplishment and pride looking at the sandbox and then at the yard that was finally clear of dirt and branches and stray pieces of wood.  Then I glanced in the front yard and saw more pieces of wood where the boys were "building" a door on the play house.  Oh well, I'm resigned to the fact that it is okay for some toys to be left out and some stray pieces of wood to be around as long as the boys are living at home.

Back to my reflecting...it feels good to clean something up doesn't it?  Whether it is a yard, a house, a room, a closet or a car.  Once the job is done it feels good.  Now imagine if we could take a day where we throw all of our mental, emotional and spiritual garbage away.  Wouldn't it be nice if clearing out our own lives was as easy as picking up some stray sticks and organizing a closet?  We are very good at holding on to "garbage" in our lives aren't we?  Past mistakes, grudges, feelings of inadequacy, past hurts...the list is endless.  The trouble is all that stuff builds up in our lives and we become like an unkempt yard or dirty closet...we need some cleaning out.  We need to let go of grudges, forgive the people in our lives that need forgiven, forgive ourselves for past mistakes, and realize again that we are all beloved children of God.  The cool part is we don't need to wait for a special time of the year, or for a dumpster to arrive, in order to begin cleaning up our "garbage."  We can start right now.  Ask God for guidance/wisdom in showing us what we need to get rid of, asking the Spirit for strength in doing so, and then to allow ourselves to be begin the process of clearing out our mental, emotional, and spiritual closets.  I guarantee you it will feel better than a freshly cleaned house!