One man’s trash…

I kept adding to the pile but it just didn’t get any bigger. 

My goal… to remove all of the surplus (but full of potential) stuff that had accumulated in my garage, in my shed, down the side of the house and even up in the roof…it was council ‘clean up’ day! 

As I made my 10^th trip from my store of junk to the road, I noticed something… many people were diligently emptying their garages but just as many were wandering from house to house picking up things that were just ‘too good’ to throw away!  

 In fact, some people came prepared with bags to carry their loot home, I saw people trying to fit things into the back of their sports car and I even saw a 2 tonne truck driving around, collecting whatever could be worth something.  A thought crossed my mind as I loaded up for my 11^th trip to the kerb… I am tossing all of this stuff because I do not consider it necessary or helpful anymore.  The value it once held diminished to the point where I am not prepared to give it any space at all and so…to the kerb it goes!

But obviously not everyone agrees with my judgement because a lot of my junk was taken home by someone else!   Just because someone thinks that you are nothing special and even if they treat you like a piece of junk I know at least one who is in the salvaging business.  He took my life when no-one else wanted it and made it His own and I know that He is looking to do the same for you! 

Hot, Cold or Luke-warm?

At first I didn’t notice and then I had my doubts but as moments became a minute it was clear that the water was growing colder not hotter.  I adjusted the taps again and still the water got colder…one more time and the cold tap was fully off and the hot tap was fully on…still the water got colder. 

I was finally resigned to the fact that something had gone wrong with the hot water tank and I would have to put up with at least one cold shower…it is amazing how motivated you become to save water when the water pouring over you is icy cold! 

Most people really enjoy a hot shower.  I have had many cold showers when I have visited
Asia but knowing you are going to have a cold shower makes it very bearable. But there is nothing endearing about a lukewarm one.   

Lukewarm things are not particularly sought after.  People don’t really want lukewarm food or lukewarm coffee they certainly don’t want lukewarm love or passion – some things are made to serve hot.   

The Lord feels the same about how we live…“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”  (Revelation 3:15-16)   

Don’t settle for a lukewarm life with lukewarm actions and a lukewarm response to God…just like I got my hot water tank fixed make a decision today to be hot or cold – but who really wants a cold shower?

“The Dog!”

The clouds came over and the sun quickly disappeared and we knew that it was time to go. 

When my father made a decision to move everyone was expected to pack up and get going as quickly as possible. 

So we all grabbed something: the esky; the chairs; the table and the picnic basket. 

Everything was bundled into the boot and my brother and I clambered into the back seat.  As we drove away from Barrenjoey lighthouse I couldn’t help thinking that we had forgotten something.  I was just about to speak when Mum yelled out “The Dog!”

Patch, our small, faithful, black and white kelpie-cross was missing…but worse than that…he was last seen tied up to the bumper of the car! 

 As Dad looked in the mirror he saw our little dog, with abject fear in its eyes, running ‘flat out’, trying to keep up with the car! 

Then, to add insult to injury, Dad quickly put his foot on the brake and the dog ran, face first, straight into the back of the car!

 This could have become a horrible memory from which I may not have recovered but instead it became one of the funniest moments in my family’s history. We all laughed all the way home, except for the dog, who was too busy panting! 

Sometimes life can feel like we are being pulled along by circumstances and influences beyond our control.  Sometimes we have to run ‘flat out’ just to keep up. It is that these times that I have found the power of spending time with God – it really helps for the long haul!

 “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength… They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 

Deep down clean!

I didn’t know it was there and I was really surprised that it was. 

It looked OK, it felt OK but I thought that a little cleaning wouldn’t go amiss. 

So I hired a carpet cleaning machine and I poured in the hot water and detergent and started cleaning the carpet of my new offices…As I said, the carpet looked pretty clean and so I wasn’t expecting much of a difference but as soon as I began the first pass with the “rug doctor 2000” the game was on!

I was horrified by what came out of my carpet.  A mix of sand, dust, dirt and I-don’t-want-to-know-what-else! 

 The water in the recovery tank wasn’t just brown; it was liquid mud!The more I cleaned, the more stuff came out; I thought it would never end but eventually I completed the task.   I now have carpets that don’t only look clean but they really are clean.  One day ago they were filled with debris and impurity but now they have been washed and cleaned and are ready to fulfil their task.

Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and I think that I look OK. 

After a shower and a shave I can scrub up alright – but I have learnt a lesson from my carpet – it is not what is on the outside that counts! 

The real problems and impurities can be hidden below the surface where no-one else goes. Just like my carpet, we need someone to wash us clean!

“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow” Isaiah 1:18 

Not so ’smart’ car!

I hired a car last week…well actually, I hired half a car!   

I had the opportunity to choose between the Hyundai Getz or (for $5 a day more) I could have the Mercedes Smart Car!   This sounded like a much better deal; it was probably the Queensland sun that was affecting my ability to make rational decisions!   I

knew I was in for some fun when the guy from the hire place sat in the car and started to tell me the ‘things I needed to know’ in order to drive the car.  All the controls were reversed (not a real issue) and it had a special gear box. Sometimes the car would lock itself (if it got confused) and you could only start it again if you followed a certain ritual.     

It was definitely half a car, it only took up half a car space, it only used half the fuel, it received at least twice as many looks but (to my disappointment) it only got half the respect.  As I looked in my rear view mirror on more than one occasion – I saw people looking, pointing and laughing as my little car passed them by. It was better than walking and it was a bit of fun but it did make me think…  

At times, people may laugh at what they see on the outside but it is what is happening on the inside that should really matter.  Your importance, prestige or self-worth should come from a much better source than a little red car!   

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”   Jeremiah 29:11