Yesterday, I was walking through my house emptying the trash cans and thought, "Man, I have a trash can in every room of my house," and it makes sense that there would be for convenience sake. After all there was trash in everyone of them. Then I contemplated, "How much of our lives are like trash cans filled with trash?"
I mean think about it...
We talk trash all the time when we say things that are not true or are hurtful. We see trash in the things we find entertaining. We live in trashy environments where there is hurt and pain, and in our relationships we hold onto old trash that should have been tossed out long ago.
Like a good house cleaning, we need to clean up and clear out the trash in our lives. Sometimes we are involved in unhealthy toxic relationships that we would be better off limiting. Sometimes it's the trashy choices we make that need to be corrected. Often it's a knee jerk reaction that can create chaotic littler that is thrown everywhere on the floor of your life and you need to go pick it up, piece by piece, and throw it away. Some trash we hold onto because of the sentimental value it has, and much like a hoarder, it can pile up around us like a castle wall. Those can be the hardest things to throw out because they protect us, or so we think.
If you have children or are living with others you may see their trash that has been collecting for years. We have no trouble pointing out and criticizing the trash in their lives, but have great difficulty seeing the trash in our own. In therapy I counsel couples to "Clean up your side of the street and let your partner clean up theirs." When you take responsibility for your own trash and clear it out, often you'll see positive changes even if the other person doesn't clear out their litter. Sometimes we don't know how to take the trash out because we were never taught how. Through your example, you may be teaching someone the blessing of learning how to clean up their act, their words, and their lives.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen."
Ephesians 4:29
Day 32: Teach