Trash Talk – Erin Kass {Be encouraged with Kristina }

Hello everyone! It’s me, Erin, again!  Kristina is gettin’ her groove on with God at the Delight retreat so I’m helping her out this week :)

Time to get down and dirty…literally. I’m here to talk about trash. We all have it – both literally and figuratively. Excess ‘junk’ that clutters up our lives and circumstances that make life much less enjoyable at times.  Here’s the encouraging news:  GOD IS TAKING OUT YOUR TRASH!!! (Well, at least the figurative trash.  Sorry, you still have to clean the candy wrappers off the floor in your bedroom).

Several years ago I found myself in a place where there were many unknowns and I didn’t have answers to my questions. (And the not knowing was HUGE to me…I was poster child material for Type A Personality which likes to be in control of EVERYTHING. Thankfully I’ve been through God-rehab since then and can overcome those tendencies…most times ;) )  During a quiet time session with God, I conveyed my list of worries and concerns to Him. I then waited for His grand, most-high God reply.  His response? ‘I’m taking out the trash’. I was like ‘Ummmmm, that’s great God, but trash day isn’t until the end of the week and CLEARLY you weren’t paying attention because NONE of my concerns involved trash. Or anything close. So what about my real problems?!?!?’   Being the awesome God that He is, He followed with the explanation.

Think about a circumstance in your life where you need someone to do something for you.  Maybe it’s a partner in a class project, or a parent who packs your lunch, or a friend who gives you a ride to an event.  You ask them for help and they say ‘sure no problem, I got it’.   If you see that person as consistent, reliable, and trustworthy, you won’t think twice about whether or not they’ll follow through with what you’ve asked them. However, if you view them as the opposite, chances are you’ll continue to wonder whether or not your class partner is preparing his/her part for tomorrow’s presentation (and you’ll end up doing their part just to make sure it’s covered). Or if you need to get up early tomorrow to make sure you have lunch. Or if you need to schedule a back up plan to make sure you’ll make it to the football game on Friday.

The illustration God used with me was my husband and taking out the trash.  It’s Thursday morning. Trash day is tomorrow. The bag in the kitchen needs to make its way to the curb by the time the garbage truck makes its way to our house tomorrow morning.  If I see my husband as a man of his word then I fully believe him when he says he’ll take care of it.  However if I DON’T, then I’ll walk by the trash all day wondering if he will.  I’ll stress over it, come up with back up plans, and if it’s still there by Thursday night, I’ll probably end up taking it to the curb myself…huffing and puffing the whole way because he didn’t do what he said he would. (even though technically I didn’t give him the opportunity to follow through, if his plan was to put it out before work Friday morning!)

I don’t know about you, but personally I have wasted way too much time staring at the trash bags in my life wondering when God was gonna take them out. I’ve spent way too much energy trying to come up with plans of my own because He was taking too long according to MY timeline!

God is taking out your trash.  He’s got solution to each one of your challenges.  He’s not surprised you are in the circumstances you’re in!  He already knows how it’s going to work out!

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” – Hebrews 13:5

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am’  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ – Exodus 3:14…..He IS EVERYTHING we need!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8…..He has proven Himself to be faithful time and time again!

If you find yourself staring at ‘bags of trash’ in your life remember that the same God who created the entire UNIVERSE loves you and wants only the best for you!   You are his prized treasure!  Let Him handle the dirty work! ;)