Waste is a natural byproduct of living. Certain things are no longer useful and are eliminated. And throughout our life and relationships we must regularly take out the trash in order to breathe deeply of life and love again.
Everyone has trash and there’s no expectation to live trash-free. The problem comes when we hold onto trash for too long and it stinks up everything.
For instance, we might hold on to thoughts, feelings, and habits that no longer serve us well today.
Perhaps we replay a past mistake over and over in our minds. Certainly, there’s a place to learn from past failures. But obsessively ruminating over our blunders only holds us back from a life of courageous faith today.
It’s easy to hold on to bitterness and resentment when someone hurts us. And, to be sure, our pain and hurt should not be dismissed, minimized, or thrown out. At the same time, we must distinguish between a wound that needs healing and the hatred and malice that’s quick to sneak in. The latter needs to be taken out with the trash.
Likewise, we must continually clean out our bad habits as well. For example, junk food like junk media might seem harmless at first, but over time they take a toll as the junk slowly builds up and overtakes our bodies and souls.
Taking out the trash is rarely a once and done thing. While it might not be daily, we must frequently check to see what’s stinking up our life.
It’s likely time to take out the trash when we don’t have the freedom to live and love or enjoy making the meaningful impact we were created for.
Make today trash day. Take it out and enjoy a breath of fresh air throughout your life and relationships.
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash
