MISC JUNK

In the weeks leading to Christmas a friend of mine posted about miscellaneous junk. I admittedly have problems at times with this issue. I don't know why I hoard things, but I do. The good thing is, I often get into the mood to get rid of things as well. That is a good time to get rid of everything I have hoarded, before sentiment enters back into the picture. Here is her post, I hope you find it as needed as I did at the time.

Well, I've been mulling around that phrase "miscellaneous junk" for over a week now.  You see, last week during Bible study at church, I saw a box at the front of the room labeled "MISC JUNK."  I leaned over to a friend and asked, "Did you see that box?  Why are they keeping miscellaneous junk??!!"  The idea seemed ludicrous. 

At the top of my Bible study, I wrote, "MISC JUNK-Why keep it?" and have spent this week "blogging in my head" about how we all keep things that we just don't need - college textbooks that we barely even opened while we were IN college, a single sock just in case we ever find the other, broken items that we plan to fix "some day", empty cardboard boxes in case we ever have something to fill them with, fifty of the same pictures our kids drew-when one would suffice, junk mail that we "may go back to sometime"...  You get it, the list can go on and on.  I didn't even include all the "extras" that we keep around that we don't really need that could benefit others.  I, like my mom, am a "thrower/giver awayer."  I like neat and orderly spaces, shelves that are not too cluttered, and empty space on the closet floors.  Junk stresses me out.

I don't think that Jesus intends for us to keep miscellaneous junk either.  I'm sure he doesn't want us to hoard when we could be offering our "extras" to others.  However, I also think he doesn't want us to carry around all the miscellaneous emotional junk that burdens us either - what someone years ago said about how you dress, how someone yelled at you and put you down, our regrets from the far past or even yesterday.  He wants to clean us and carry our burdens.  Why do we insist on carrying all our junk around instead of just laying it at his feet?

You know what?  I think we like it.  In a distorted and somewhat sick way, I think we like having some "pity me" things to fall back on.  Things that we can use as excuses for not finishing a job or for saying/treating others unkindly or to reason our way out of serving others.  Is that too harsh?  I don't think so.  Stop and think about it.  What junk are you carrying around that you should have "donated to Jesus" a long time ago? Is your junk harming someone else?  Could Jesus use you more if you weren't carrying around such a load?  Probably so.

Jamie am the wife of a strong, intelligent, godly husband, and great friend of mine. She is the mom of a beautiful, courageous, and gentle-hearted daughter and a sweet, hilarious, energetic son. She is a teacher at heart who currently gets to live her dream to be a "stay-at-home-mom." She likes sweets, treasures her friends, and loves Jesus.