.

My close call; I almost missed the trash truck! Yes the trash truck. Just as I was walking out of the house I heard the dreaded noise of the truck stopping at the house just two doors down. In my hand were two trash bags to finish off the trash cans. I panicked and dropped them both in the yard thus spilling refuge all over my front yard and ran to the cans. My thought was at least I can get trash already in the cans out to the street if I run fast enough.

With the truck one house away it looked pretty bleak, I grabbed a can and started for the front yard, dodging the cars in my driveway like a finely tuned running back in the NFL. Just as I got to the end of the drive way I looked up and realized much to my happy surprise that the truck stopping at the house next door was the recycling truck not the trash truck. I had been given a reprieve and could breathe again.

You might ask what the big deal about missing the trash truck is. With eight people roaming my house on a weekly bases; trust me it is a big deal. The last thing I want to do is deal with the certain consequences of not taking out the trash.

Just as there are consequences for not taking out the trash that fills up my house; there are also consequences in my spiritual life when I fail to get the trash out of my life.

The number one issue that occurs when we fail to take out the trash in our spiritual life is that, just as in my house, it just builds up. Not taking out the trash does not get rid of the trash. You can try to hide it, you can stash it over in a corner of your life but it just builds up and not dealing with it will not make it go away. We must deal with our trash and the sooner the better.

Lets face it when we let the trash build up it starts to smell and it is somewhat the same in our spiritual life. The more trash we have built up the more our life is unpleasant to be around. Our relationship with God and those we are around starts to suffer, the more trash the more it suffers.

Also remember you can hide the trash in your life all you want, but God still sees it. After a while the smell in our life just becomes common to us and we don’t even realize it. We might have a smelly trash filled life and the sad part is that after a while we get used to it and even accept it. While God sees it and wants to help you rid yourself of it.

Remember if you have trash in your life it is your fault not Gods, he wants to pull right up to the darkest parts of your life and let you unload it. That is why he died on the cross for your sins so that you would not have to live any longer with the trash of the past.

No one really likes dealing with the trash at home or in our spiritual life. It is the messy stuff that you just want to get rid of but many times we just don’t deal with it.

Here is my tip, don’t take any risk on that trash building up in your life and stealing the joy God intended for you to have. Find yourself on your knees; give it to God, then do what I do with my trash cans, leave it on the side of the road and never look back. Trust me God will be by soon enough and you will never see it again.

Scripture: Psalm 32:5, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord-and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Psalm 119:133, “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to unload the sin, the deep regrets, the heartache of our lives at your feet. Guide us to trust you that you will accept our repentance and free us from the guilt that weights us down. We are thankful that you are such a grace giving God and we ask these things in your son’s precious and Holy Name, Jesus Christ, Amen.