ALL THE OTHER STUFF

Before launching into today's  tirade missive, H E R E is the link to the next installment of Linda's blog about Single Women and the Church.  We have a great dialogue going at her house, be sure and read the comments.


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Yesterday's post seemed to resonate with many of us.  One comment simply stated, "Guilty",  my reply, "Or course you are, we all are."  Is there anyone who does not have a catch all drawer?  I actually have two--one in the kitchen for all those things described in the post and one in my parlor by the throne chair where I sit.  It catches all those random pieces of paper I might need at some future date, the pieces of mail which might prove useful, all the electronic cords for recharging my life lines to the world, various scrapes of paper with notes and addresses, and at least 20 emery boards in various states of  use.  It is the junk drawer I once had in my professional life in my desk.


Another reader was inspired to clean her junk drawer out.  I assured her it was a futile effort, for it will surely be brimming over once again as she stuffs all those "I might need's" back into the drawer.

Those drawers---they are a mere reflection of a more serious junk problem.  The junk in my head of which I refuse to let go.  Oh, I give lip service to giving it all to Jesus and then quicker than you can toss a screw in the junk drawer I have snatched it back and buried it deeper.  This junk doesn't just clutter up a drawer---it clutters up precious brain cells and most important the room in my heart.  It is taking valuable space in a limited compartment--for after all how many things can you truly think of at one time?


If you could open my brain, you would find an instant replay track of words that injured me.  They keep rolling around and making their way to the surface.   I repeat those slams over and over until I begin to claim them as truth.  The enemy loves to remind me of those verbal grenades as he dredges me through the mine field of earthly destruction.


And then there is the list of failures I have experienced in life.  Somehow I loose the importance of having tried and instead focus on the losses.  When I compare the successes to the failures, the scale tips in my favor.  Once again though, I cannot always seem to focus on the wins---but instead dwell on the losses.


At the top of this heap of junk is the "If Only's and "Only If's".  What possible benefit could it be to playing this game of second guesses?  But still I dissect and reconnect life's happenings, trying to figure out how different things would be---If I had only played a another card.

What a waste of time and effort!  The common thread in everything I have mentioned and probably all the things I have not bothered to list--they are ALL IN THE PAST!




I have allowed the agents of the enemy to convince me of the lies they have fed me.  Instead of giving credance to all that is good in my life, I have allowed a few isolated incidents from the past to cloud my perspective of the truth of who I am and given them undeserved replay time in the never ending monologue rolling through my head.  I could use some retraining in leaving the past where it belongs-in the past.


Most important though, I have turned from the truth that God has given me about who I am and what He thinks about me and listened to the enemies agents to clutter my mind and heart.  Instead of concentrating on those things which are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable, of eternal consequence, I have allowed the junk of the world to cloud reason and truth.  Time to chunk out the junk and hold on to the eternal truths.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

4 comments

  1. My dad, Bless his heart, has always said, "You have way to much useless information in your pretty little head, Linda." Yep, guilty...oh how I can relate on not letting go...

    Another great post, Lulu. Have a beautiful day, friend.

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    1. I have volumes of useless trivia stored away in the memory vault, Linda. The important stuff--I tend to forget--the periodic table, the reason the leaves turn in the fall, the formula for making snow ice cream (AS IF!), the history of World War II, the recipe for chicken spaghetti to feed 300, on and on--my head spills over. Where I put my car keys last--seems to have flown the coop! WHY!!!
      Blessings, Friend!

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  2. When we have troubles, worries, bad memories and other negativenesses in our head, and we say we hand them over to Jeus; that really should put an end to it. However, when we bring back those memories and gnaw on them like a dog with a bone, we do God a disservice. We sin against Him even. Because we are saying we don't really trust Him with the problems we have already handed over to Him. We need to bring them back and fret about them all over again.

    True, the bad memories will always be there. It is natural. We cannot help it. But we should let these bad memories be another opportunity to forgive and pray for those who have hurt us. We cannot possibly hate someone we are praying for.

    Bad experiences will happen, again and again. We should learn from them and hand them over to Christ once and for all. It's like emptying the drawer full of clutter and throwing the drawer away to make sure it never fills up again.

    God bless you, Lulu.

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    1. "We cannot possibly hate someone we are praying for." HUMM---trying to get there, Victor. I do like your analogy of throwing the drawer away as well.
      Blessings, Friend!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!