Take Out the Trash by Carol Harrison

 

 

Taking out the trash is a never-ending type of job. If I leave it for too many days, it starts to permeate the air with a less than pleasant aroma. I can’t take it out once and say, “There that’s all done for good.”

But what about the trash in my life and in my heart? I often struggle with negative thoughts pushing their way in and cloaking my heart with a dark covering. It blocks creativity and colours the world around me with pessimism. Yet in Proverbs 4:23(ESV) I read, “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flows the springs of life.”

I decided to look more closely at the words like keep and vigilance in this verse. Some translations use the word guard your heart and keep alert. I added those in to the study as well. This allows me more clarity about the meaning and how to accomplish God’s directive.

Merriam Webster defines guard as, “Protect from danger especially by watchful attention. In Biblereference.com it talks about keep, used in place of guard, not in terms of maintaining ownership but referring to maintenance, care, and support.

Vigilance is keeping watch for possible dangers or difficulties and being alertly watchful. So how can I be alert, watchful, and guard my heart and why should I?

In Luke 6:45 Jesus is teaching and says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I believe this is also true of the words we write. They also come from those well springs of life in the heart, that center of my thoughts, emotions, and will. Temptation is real, pulling us away from what is best for our hearts. God knows all about my willful self and waits for me to come to Him for help in guarding against the negativity and lies of the enemy.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Renewing my mind can only be truly accomplished with God’s wonderful and gracious help. For me it reminds me I need to take out the trash in my life and heart too. What am I watching, listening to, reading?

If I spend too much time on news stories it keeps me up to date with current affairs but it also plunges me into the darkness of depression. Too often it makes me forget that God is still in control and nothing is a surprise to Him. When the negativity takes over, the ideas for writing disappear and I want to escape into more mindless activities.

In Bible Study.com it states, “A God controlled thought life will

           - Govern your speech (Prov. 4: 24)

           - Guard your sight (vs 25)

           - Guide your steps (vs 27)

2 Corinthians 10: 5, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” God can and does change our thoughts to good and positive when we allow Him to help us. So I need to seek God daily and take out the trash with His help by checking what I am watching, reading, and listening to. This allows me to hear God’s directions about words to say and write. In this way I can be alert and guard my heart.

 

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys reading, sharing stories, and family time but realizes how easy it is to let herself be involved in many mindless activities which she needs to guard against.