Tuesday 10 January 2023

Getting rid of the junk


In the last few days, we have had the chance to tidy up a few cupboards and drawers in the house. It is amazing how much junk we end up keeping, don't you think?! 

I found pieces of paper and ten-year-old bank statements, along with things that should have been thrown away years ago. I kept asking myself: "Why did I keep that? What was I thinking?"

Anyway, the purge has been done (for this year) and I am sure that I have kept some items that will confound me in ten years' time - I will probably be asking myself similar questions to the one's I asked this weekend. 

The whole process got me thinking about the rest of our lives - spiritual, emotional and relational. 

What junk do we hold onto? 

Are there things in the dark recesses of our hearts that we need to clean out? 

What is stopping us and why do we hold onto unnecessary garbage? 

Here is a delightful piece of Scripture that was re-worded by Eugene Peterson: 

"So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered" (Hebrews 12:25-27).

Living in Grace

D3LM3

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