Dumping the past

If you peek into the door of the office at church you might think there had been a break in or burglary. The place is a disaster area. Books are strewn all over the floor. The shelves are half empty and papers are everywhere.

I have been cleaning this week. The garbage man is going to earn his pay when he comes on Friday. It struck me that I've seen a lot of dumpsters around lately so I am not the only one who has been busy. One of my neighbors is having her roof replaced and the dumpster is there to collect the old shingles as the new roof is put on.

Across from the church the new Putnam bank is getting ready to open their doors. A dumpster sits outside as the used lumber and other debris is cleaned up. There is a dumpster or two at Three Rivers Community College as the construction continues at the school. The place looks great even as the work continues in certain areas.

As I was thinking about this it struck me that there is always some cleaning up to do before anything new can come about. The old either has to be taken down or the mess has to be cleaned up. The same thing is true in our lives. If we want to change we need to get rid of the old and yucky stuff before we can start over and begin again. That's what repentance is all about.

Repentance is asking God to take away the junk so that we can begin again with a clean slate. The good news is that God loves this part and jumps right in because he loves us so much. He wants us to have that fresh start so we can truly enjoy the depths of his love.

So look around and see if you can find all the dumpsters in your neighborhood. Then see if God can't do something for you as you get ready to embrace the future he has for you.

Cal