The Neglected Garbage Can

The following article was in the Fall 2010 issue of Keepers at Home, a quarterly magazine published by Carlisle Press.

Keepers at Home

2673 Township Road 421

Sugarcreek, OH 44681

This article was written by Betty Friesen. It was a blessing and a challenge to me and I thought I would share it.

"Where do these go?" Mandy asked, holding up a stack of disposable plates which had been used for a family supper.

"In that white garbage can over there." I motioned to the metal box beneath the kitchen counter. "That is, if you can fit them in." Emptying that trash can was one thing I had not done in preparation of this family gathering.

Mandy always did everything thoroughly. I held my breath as she hauled out the whole waste box. And none too soon, as an offensive odor was fast permeating the kitchen. Mandy stuffed in the Styrofoam plates and I tied the top of the waste can liner into a knot. "This must be more than kitchen garbage," she commented dryly.

I felt like plugging my nose. Besides needing a new liner, that trash can hadn't seen an exhaustive scrub for months! Now here among all the ladies cleaning up after supper this neglected duty of mine was being exposed! What now? Escape? Make excuses? Or just pretend not to be embarrassed? But no matter how much I might have wanted to deny, defend, or escape, the smell remained, and needed to be dealt with.

Even after replacing the liner, I still caught whiffs of that repulsive smell the next day while passing through the kitchen. All the while I was becoming more convinced that soap and water would have to go beneath the months of grime. Thankfully the day was sunny as I pulled the trash can into the refreshing out-of-doors. While scrubbing I had time to ponder. Sometimes it is said that other people bring out the best in us. Contradictorily, it sure felt like they brought out the bad this time. Or...was the good just disguised into something uncomfortable? Secretly I wondered how soon I would have gotten down to this cleaning job if it hadn't been for Mandy!

What if other people uncover inconsistencies in other areas of my life? It may be an impolite way of chewing my food, an uncomfortable better-than-thou attitude, some hidden pride or silent stubbornness.

When such "smelly odors" are revealed, I have a choice to make. I can choose to defend, deny, or escape. But the smell will remain and will need to be dealt with. If I want the odor to go I will want to choose to humbly admit (I did not do what I should have), confess (I'm sorry), and forsake (by God's grace replace the inconsistency with a godly virtue).

Christ's cleanisng power can then renew and make me a vessel again meet for the Master's use.

A proper sacrifice produces a sweet smelling savour, not a stink. Rotting refuse produces a stink. I truly desire to offer a proper sacrifice by giving the Lord my ALL. When someone points out something stinky in me, I want to be gracious enough to acknowledge my carelessness and make things right. I wish I would never make mistakes or display a bad attitude, and that's my aim and my goal. Until then, when I do slip up I want to not cover up--I want to ask forgiveness of the Lord and the individuals I've wronged and then do my best to scrub that old garbage can of all the accumulated filth and then resolve to keep it fresh and clean with regular scrubbings and not allow it to get to stinking again. God, grant me the grace, the motivation and determination to do it!

What Sin?

Sister Connie Werkheiser sings the song, "What Sin?" and it's always such a blessing. God's mercy and forgiveness are without boundaries. 1 John 1:9 says,"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I got to thinking about the Sea of Forgetfulness and tried to look it up. There is no such "place" mentioned in the Scripture, but these next two verses describe what God does with our sins when we repent and confess: "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19). "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17). These two verses, combined, describe the Sea of Forgetfulness we often hear and sing about.
Here's the words to the song, "What Sins?" by Morgan Cryar, from the album Love Over Gold.

It happened so long ago
And I cried out for mercy back then
I plead the blood of Jesus
Begged him to forgive my sin
But I still can't forget it
It just won't go away
So I wept again, "Lord wash my sin,"
But this is all He'd say

CHORUS

What sin, what sin?
Well that's as far away as the east is from the west
What sin, what sin?
It was gone the very minute you confessed
Buried in the sea of forgetfulness

The heaviest thing you'll carry
Is a load of guilt and shame
You were never meant to bear them
So let them go in Jesus name
Our God is slow to anger
Quick to forgive our sin
So let Him put them under the blood
Don't bring them up again
Cause He'll just say

REPEAT CHORUS

Lord, please deliver me from my accusing memory
Nothing makes me weak this way,
Then when I hear you say

Some people are guilty of going deep sea diving in effort to dredge up another person's buried sins. If God chooses to "remember them no more" then how dare we? To do so would put us in danger of being like the man described in the story of Matthew 18:21-35:
"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
In this story, the man who had been forgiven of his debt in the beginning later had his judgment reversed and he was thrown into prison himself because he refused to forgive another person's trespass. We must remind ourselves: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:26).
Help me, Lord, to forgive those who refuse to forgive; to love those who do not love; to have mercy on those who show no mercy--help me, Lord to be like You.

Thanks to Brother Donnie

I had NO IDEA it had been so long since I last posted--until I visited Brother Donnie's blog and noticed this blog listed on his blogroll, noting that it had been 6 months! For shame! So I thought I should write SOMEthing. It's not that I have anything of interest to write, but I'm embarrassed to appear as such a slacker. "Slacker" is one thing I'm not. If you were to look at my schedule the past few months, you would agree. Since May I have attended 2 National Conventions and 3 State/Regional Conventions (or is it 4?), plus BTI. As I write, we are involved in VBS at Zion Hill. Busy, busy, busy. IYC and the Assembly are right around the corner. This weekend I will have 4 or 5 house guests--committee members of the Ways & Means Committee, who are meeting on Saturday. I'm planning to fix supper for them Friday night. Then there are a plethora of chores to complete in preparation for IYC and the Assembly, for which I'm very excited. So . . . there, in a nutshell, is part of the reason I haven't posted in 6 months . . . not that anybody ever visits Blogland anymore OR would check a blog that hasn't been updated in forever. *sigh* But at least I don't feel guilty anymore.

Feed Your Faith

"Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death." I read this adage on a sign today and wanted to hang on to it. Good thought, huh? It's easy to feed doubt, but not so natural to feed our faith and starve doubt to death. But that's my plan and I intend, by the grace of God, to stick to it! How about you?