WHEW!!! TIME TO CLEAN OUT THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL!

I stumbled, sleepily to the sink, desperately needing that first cup of coffee.  As I turned on the water to fill the Keurig, a nasty smell cleared the fog from my brain.  The sink was clean, checking the trash can under the sink revealed nothing.  What was hiding in my kitchen?  Once more leaning over the sink, the smell took my breath away and the truth hit me; the garbage disposal needed to be cleaned out.  A couple of days ago, I had rinsed off the dinner plates and scrubbed the sink but I had forgotten to flip the switch to clear out the disposal and wash its contents down the sewer.  A garbage disposal is a wonderful kitchen tool to rid your house of unwanted food garbage but if you don’t flip the switch daily to clear out the unwanted fragments, you will eventually have a bigger problem in your kitchen today than you had yesterday.

How many times have we pushed aside the garbage that accumulates in our life every day, cleaning up the surface but forgetting the important next step; clearing out the garbage disposal.  You may go on happily through life for a few days and then at the most inopportune time, you notice a stench emanating from deep within.  You thought you had gotten rid of it but there were little bits and pieces lying there, putrefying, and just waiting to invade your life once again.  It is time to flip the switch and clear out your personal garbage disposal.

We can fool ourselves and those around us for a time but eventually the garbage that we have just set aside and forgotten to get rid of will make itself known.
Luke 6:4 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Check yourself, do your words carry an unpleasant aroma; sarcastic and cutting instead of edifying?  What about your attitude?  Are you guilty of “stinkin’ thinkin’” instead of hope and thanksgiving?  Even your actions can tell the tale of a full garbage disposal; you begin to consider your own lusts and desires instead of following the Will of God.  Don’t despair, there is an easy solution; FLIP THE SWITCH!!!

Prayer is a beautiful cleanser for our personal “garbage disposal.”  Spend a little time allowing God to give you a thorough cleansing.  He will take away the garbage of the day, the hurts and slights, the aggravations and even the little things we allow to discourage and weigh us down.  Then as an added benefit, God sprinkles on a little Grace to keep you smelling sweet.  You will feel fresher and those closest to you will begin to notice the pleasant aroma of God’s love that emanates from deep inside.  It is time to CLEAN OUT THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL!  Don’t wait, the smell will just get worse; DO IT TODAY!!!

GOD DIDN'T MAKE MONSTERS ANYWHERE

We can talk ourselves into or out of believing almost anything.  If you don’t believe me, try this…Tomorrow morning, when you get out of bed, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you don’t feel good and think you are getting sick.  Brush your teeth and tell yourself again that you think you are coming down with something.  Chances are you can convince yourself to get back into bed and lounge around in your pajamas all day.  By afternoon or late evening you may experience cold chills and a pounding headache.  Are you really sick? Probably not, but you have talked yourself into believing that you are, complete with symptoms, which are very likely due to hours of inactivity.   The reverse also works.  Truthfully, most of us do not feel energetic and ready to conquer the world when we roll out of bed.  It may take a shower and hot cup of coffee before you can think about facing the day but look in the mirror, take several deep breaths, smile and say, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Tell yourself that you are “more than a conqueror” and “can do all things through Christ.”  Sing a praise and worship song as you brush your hair and get dressed, grab that cup of coffee as you walk out the door thanking God for the beautiful morning.  Are you really going to conquer the world today?  Possibly because you have just convinced yourself that you can accomplish whatever comes your way, today.

This is true in just about every area of life; when we speak, we are often speaking prophetically, our words have power.   We find  that during Job’s great trials, he makes this statement in Job 3:25, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.”  When Job stopped fearing and began to speak blessing, everything he had lost and more was restored to him.  Now before I am accused of being a “prosperity preacher” or of embracing the “name it and claim it doctrine,” let me assure you that I believe we pray and receive according to the will of God not according to our own selfish lust and desires.  I also believe that we talk ourselves into many situations that are not according to the will of God because of negative, fearful, discouraging words and even sometimes go against the will of God by convincing ourselves that our desires our God’s primary priority in His plan for us.

On my birthday, my little 3-year old granddaughter, Maicie sang a song to me that came straight from her mind and heart.  She called it the “Rainbow Song.”  It began with a line about rainbows in your eyes than veered off into the things that were really on her mind.  The 3rd line of the song went like this, “God didn’t make monsters anywhere, not in your bedrooms.”  I’m sure Maicie didn’t realize what she was doing, but she was speaking prophetically, WORDS OF FAITH to herself.  I’m sure she has imagined monsters in her room and probably even dreamed of them.  I also know that she has a Mommy and Daddy who pray with her and assure her that there are no monsters in her bedroom because “God didn’t make monsters.”  As Maicie continues to speak or sing her words, she is convincing herself to believe what Mommy and Daddy tell her and eventually the “monsters in the room” become a non-issue.

Philipians 4:8 Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true; whatsoever things are honest; whatsoever things are just; whatsoever things are pure; whatsoever things are lovely; whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Whatever “monster” you are facing in your life, try Maicie’s “prophetic singing.”  Substitute words of FAITH for words of FEAR.  Begin to PRAISE instead of COMPLAIN; BLESSINGS instead of CURSINGS.  Not only will you feel a lifting in your spirit but the negativity will flee and you will begin to believe that GOD IS WORKING ALL THINGS OUT FOR YOUR GOOD because GOD DIDN'T MAKE MONSTERS ANYWHERE!

YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL (Just not all at once)

My pantry holds an assortment of yummy treats just waiting to fill my grandbabies tummies.  One of the favorite treats of the younger grandkids is Fruit Snacks.  For you who may not know, a fruit snack is a small packet of different colored gummy candies in the shape of a favorite cartoon or Disney character.  For some reason, it seems that is impossible to eat and chew just one of the gummies at a time.  No matter how often I say “just one,” every one of my grandkids has looked at me with their mouth stuffed full of gummies until their cheeks bulge and chewing is impossible.   It isn’t as if someone is going to snatch one or there is a timer set with a limited amount of time for finishing.  I often think of how much more enjoyment they would get if they would learn to savor each candy.  You can have it all, just not all at once.

I was fortunate to come of age at a time when it was still acceptable for women to be stay-at-home moms and being a homemaker WAS a career choice.  As the 1990’s approached, women were made to feel as if choosing to stay home to take care of your kids and make a comfortable home was only for the “dummies” who couldn’t do anything else.  I watched many of these women juggle careers, children, husbands, leisure time and social obligations; trying to HAVE IT ALL!!!  Instead of savoring every moment and enjoying different seasons in their life, they became depressed and stressed out because they were cramming too much into a small 24 hour space.  I wanted to tell them, “You can have it all, just not all at once.”

Oh there are many sacrifices to make, priorities to set and choices that are difficult but don’t fool yourself, the one trying to have it all is also setting priorities, making choices and something is always being sacrificed.  Thinking back over some of the sacrifices that allowed me to be the stay-at-home Mom that was there when the kids came busting in the house after an exciting day at school.  The wife that always had a hot cooked meal waiting when Steve came in, tired from a long day at work.  Making sure there were clean clothes in the closet, toilet paper in the bathrooms and juggling the budget, stretching the money to cover the necessities was as much of a challenge as any CEO of a company faced.  I forfeited new cars, perfectly decorated homes, gourmet restaurant meals and designer clothes; they would come and I would enjoy, just not all at the same time.  The kids finally grew up and I finally received my degree and finally started a corporate career.  Now, once again, I find myself a stay-at-home Grandma and a homemaker by choice.  Looking back over my life, I can say, “I have had it all, just not all at once.”

In our walk with God, we have dreams and ambitions; there are so many things we want God to accomplish through us.  There are gifts to be desired, aspirations of ministry and positions,  people to touch and souls to win.  Too many times, instead of allowing God to work through us we go full-throttle, packing every moment full of “working for God.”  When our mouth becomes so stuffed we can’t chew, we finally choke and wonder why God has left us gasping for air.  PATIENCE, God will give you everything He has planned for you, just not all at once.

At the present time, you may be in the “waiting mode” or maybe you are “tugging at the bit” desiring to rush into the calling you feel in your spirit.  STOP!!! Savor the moment you are in.  God is working out the last few details and when the time is right you will step into your next season.  One thing I have learned is “when we find contentment in the present season, fulfillment will await you in the next season.  Stop stuffing all the gummies into your bulging cheeks; YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL, just not all at once.

GARBAGE CANS ARE NOT LAWN DECORATIONS

 

There is nothing more welcoming than walking up to a house on a cleanly swept sidewalk, leading to a well-lit porch and knocking on a door that is freshly painted and in good repair.  It is not only inviting but hints at the serene restfulness that lies beyond the door; a clean, neat home.  No matter how awesome the inside of your house is laid out or beautifully decorated, a weedy lawn, broken down toys, strewn trash and the lack of or overgrown landscaping can ruin the picture. 

For years we were perfectly happy to use a 32 gallon Roughneck, Rubbermaid garbage can to hide our garbage until “trash day.”  We could keep it in our garage or hidden discreetly behind the house out of public view.  Then about a year ago, our trash collector decided to be more efficient and automate the collection trucks which meant giving every resident two monster, bright blue 95 gallon trash cans.  Well nothing is more inviting or says “come sit a spell” than adding a couple of garbage cans to your landscaping.  Fortunately, we have a side-entry garage which provides a small alcove at the side of the house to hide the ugly, gigantic, blue plastic receptacles.

And about that ugly, gigantic, blue plastic receptacle, most of us seem to have one in our life.  It has a name; we call it FACEBOOK.  Not everything on Facebook is garbage and not everyone lets it “all hang out” marring the awesome picture of the beautiful you.  I love to see the pictures of your kids and grandkids, the beautiful sunsets and exciting vacation pictures but I can live happily ever after without seeing a picture of your surgical scar complete with stitches, your swollen toe and yesterday’s prize, a medical bag full of the contents that had been drained out of a lung.  I don’t need to read the hints about what someone is saying about you, either tell the story, complete with names or better yet, go tell the person to “shut up,” either way, I don’t need to step over your garbage.  If your husband is a jerk and your kids won’t talk to you, pray for them or send me a prayer request and I will pray for them, but please don’t set the garbage cans on your front porch.

What do people see as they walk up to the “door” of your life?  Is it warm and inviting?  Is the love shining through your eyes and a welcoming smile saying, “come in and sit for a while?”  OR do you have your garbage sitting out for the entire world to see and the wind to scatter until bits are even blown into the lives of your friends and neighbors?  We all have garbage in our life that must be dealt with but PUHLEEZE keep it discreetly in the can behind the garage, I don’t want to have to wade through it before I get to the real you.

THE GIFT OF SHALT NOT

As all the Facebook devotees know, under each post is the opportunity for the reader to give a “THUMBS UP” signifying “good post,” “I agree” or that really “hit a nerve.”  Look again; there is no “THUMBS DOWN” for the reader to click in disagreement.  Oh you can put a L or type “dislike” in the comments but who does that?  No one wants to appear negative.  No, we live in an “AFFIRMING” society where anything you choose is ok and the right choice for you.  Sadly, I have witnessed this “HYPER-AFFIRMATION” become the downfall of many movie and rock stars, politicians, preachers and loved ones.

It is tempting to surround ourselves with ONLY positive, affirming friends and if anyone dares question or use the word, NO, they are swiftly deleted, defriended or if unable to be eliminated, pushed to the outskirts of our tight-knit little circle of admirers.  I have to admit that my first thought at receiving an online rebuke for a post was not humble or spiritual.  My first thought was, “How dare you” and “Who do you think you are anyway.”  The Holy Spirit has a way of stopping us, however, and allowing us to think for just a moment.  Words do matter and to make sure we speak those things that are true, kind, lovely, edifying and with the right motives, every now and then we need someone in our life that says, “NO.”

The Word of God is full of affirming statements.  “We are loved with an everlasting love.”  “Nothing shall separate us from the love of God.”  “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  “Beloved, now are we the sons of God.”  Now that we feel all “warm and fuzzy,” we need to remember that all of these affirmations are anchored to THOU SHALT NOTs!!!  Let us not get so carried away with euphoria of affirmation that we push the “shalt nots” to the outskirts of our circle or delete them from our life.  It is the “shalt nots” that keep us in tune with God so that we can hear and follow after His voice.  It is the “shalt nots” that make us stop and reconsider our words, actions and choices. It is the “shalt nots” that keeps us from separating ourselves from the love of God.  NO is as life-giving as YES and we must have someone we allow in our circle that is not afraid to speak negative things into our life.

Is it possible that Samson would not have been blinded and made to tread grain as an animal, if dad and mom had given him a “Thumbs Down?”  What if Eli had told his sons, “Thou SHALT NOT take the Ark of God into battle, Israel would have not suffered defeat at the hands of the Philistines and Hophni and Phinehas could have spent their days ministering before the Lord.  Then there is Rehoboam, the son of Solomon who pushed the wise elders from his circle of advisors and chose to listen only to those who agreed with him.  This of course caused a civil war and his kingdom was split, all because he did not allow anyone in his life to tell him, NO!!!

So the next time someone tells you NO, thank them for giving you the opportunity to reconsider.  Instead of reaching for the “DELETE” button at the next negative comment, use it to examine your thoughts and motives.  Include two or three people in your inner circle that you trust, that you love and are not afraid to speak to you with brutal honesty.  The "THOU SHALT NOT" that you reluctantly receive and apply to your life may just be your salvation from a life of heartache and regret.

WHEN "I SHOULD" BECOMES "IF ONLY"

Every one of us has moments, days or years that we just wish we could “do over.”  Maybe it is because of procrastination, perhaps it was due to impulsiveness, or maybe you tried to take things into your own hands and instead, created a mess.  Whatever the reason or the excuse, we can all look back at the moments when our “I should” becomes our “If only.”-

As with most of the “mess ups” in our life, “If Onlys” were handed down to us from Father Adam and have been a constant “thorn in our side” throughout the history of mankind.  Adam was well aware of the choice he SHOULD make.  He had heard the instruction straight from the mouth of God, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”   (Genesis 2:16-17)  Yes, Adam knew exactly what he SHOULD DO, but in a moment that would change Human History, he ate of the fruit.  In that moment, not only were Adam’s eyes opened to knowledge, not only would his body begin to die, not only would he have to toil and labor for his “daily bread,” but Adam experienced a moment when his SHOULD became his IF ONLY.

There are many more examples in the Bible of “I SHOULD” becoming “IF ONLY.”  So many regrets would be avoided, if we would learn the “IF ONLY” lessons taught by each event.  Moses SHOULD have spoken to the rock; IF ONLY he had not struck the rock, he would have been the one leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.  Abraham SHOULD have trusted God when He said that his son would come from Sarah; IF ONLY he had not been impatient, he would not have birthed an Ishmael.  Judas SHOULD have not allowed money to cloud his judgment; IF ONLY he had loved and been loyal to the Master, he would have been one of the 120 in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost.  So many life changing moments occur when an “I SHOULD” turns into an “IF ONLY.”

Thirteen years ago, September 2, 2001, I too had one of those moments that will be forever imprinted on my brain.   We had gone to our “up north” cottage to spend the Labor Day weekend.  Mom had called on Friday, to say she was taking Dad to the hospital to possibly get a blood transfusion and expected to be home some time during the day on Saturday.  I was busy and looking forward to a fun-filled weekend.  I tried to call Saturday morning and again Saturday evening; there was no answer at  home.  I thought, to myself, tomorrow I will call the hospital if there is still no answer on the home phone.  On the way to breakfast, Sunday morning, my phone rang with the sad news that Dad had died.  I SHOULD have called; IF ONLY I had, I could have spent some precious last moments hearing my Dad’s voice and letting him know one more time that I loved him.

 

If there are things in your life that you SHOULD do or say; DO THEM!!!!  Make that phone call; SAY THEM!!!  Don’t allow another SHOULD to transform into an IF ONLY.

LOST IN THE HOUSE

This morning, our Pastor mentioned the Parable of the Lost Coin in Luke 15.  What strikes me in this parable is that the coin wasn’t spent foolishly or dropped on the way to an exciting adventure; no, the coin was lost inside the house.  Perhaps it had gotten buried under a stack of paper or had been carelessly swept off the table.  How long did it take before the owner realized it was missing?  The passage didn’t say but we do know that as soon as she realized it had fallen by the wayside, she made every effort to find it and lovingly restore it to its place beside the other coins.

Every Sunday Morning, we enter the church to worship with our brothers and sisters.  How many Sundays pass before we notice that one of the shining “coins” are missing?  Oh they may be sitting right beside you, they may go through the familiar motions and say all the right words at the appropriate times but if you look closely, you will notice, the “coin” is lost inside the house.

Perhaps they became “lost” under a “stack of life” or perhaps a careless word or action swept them away.  Whatever the reason, the “coins” are too valuable to shrug your shoulders or just replace with another shiny coin.  We have to learn to look behind the façade of manufactured smiles and perfect words and see the lonely soul that has become lost in the house.  Once we realize a coin is missing, I pray that the Body of Christ will, as the woman in Luke 15, light a lamp and sweep the house, searching with care until the “lost coin” is found and restored to its rightful place.

The Parable doesn’t end once the coin is found, however, Luke 15:9, And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!  As the church body begins to discover the “Coins” that have been lost in the house, we will begin to hear the sounds of rejoicing from earth and Heaven reach a resounding crescendo.  Luke 15:19, Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

It is time to light a lamp, get out our brooms and start sweeping.  There are precious coins that have been “LOST IN THE HOUSE” for too long.  Let the Sound of Rejoicing begin.