An empty trash can, just as the rain begins to transition to snow. What things will be taken out with the trash next? In what ways will we rid ourselves of the things that prevent us from seeing God clearly?

December 2, 2023 / 0 comments

Trash in the Trash Can!

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

  • Isaiah 64:6

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

  • Philippians 3:7-9

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

  • 1 Corinthians 4:12-21

May I rant?  Wow!  I have never asked permission before.  But back a little over a month ago, the day after Halloween, the trash man had come and gone.  I went to roll the empty trash can to the back porch and I noticed something obscene in the trash can.  You will not believe what I found!  There was TRASH in the trash can!  Can you believe that!  Who would have ever thought that could happen!!  The trashman was already a few blocks down the road, and he did not empty my can because there was trash in the trash can.

Let me explain.  If all our righteousness were filthy rags and we needed to throw out those filthy rags, the filthy rags would have to be placed in a suitable bag and the bag tied off or the trash man will refuse to take the filthy rags.

I then inspected the loose trash that had been added to the properly bagged trash.  It was a couple of juice bottles.  What my son calls “hugs.”  And one of those foil containers for an artificial juice drink.  And I think a couple of candy wrappers.  The night before, I had placed the trash can where it could be picked up, but out of the way of any passing trick or treaters.  Note: the sidewalk ends at the property line between our home and the next home further up the hill.  They had to move from the sidewalk to the street at that point anyway, so the trash can was not blocking the route.  No one should have gotten upset.  And the trash guy arrived the next morning about dawn.  If I had waited, it would have been too late.

So, my question is: Should I be angry at the person because that person(s) knows that the trash must be bagged?  Or do I have pity on someone who has walked ten blocks up a steep grade with preschool children?  They are exhausted.  The children are screaming to be carried.  Thinking pre-school with the “hugs”.  I have had tiny children walk up the hill, just to get three houses down from mine and they scream that they cannot take it anymore.  Then after walking the four houses, getting a bag of candy from me, they yell, “Daddy, I walked!  I even said trick or treat and thank you.  Now carry me again!”

It is like the Philippians Scripture above.  Possessions in this life just weigh you down.  But when you have a small child, climbing a monster hill, only because our street is the longest in town and they only have to park once.  After the climb, the kids rarely make it to the end of the street!  So, the air was crisp.  The child had to breathe through their mouth because the mask blocked their nose.  After a few blocks, they needed a “hug”.  A few more blocks, another “hug”.  And baby sis, who was already being carried, finally finished her foil packet of fake juice.

Dad looks around and sees a trash can.  Does he litter?  Or does he use the trash can in a very public place?

Hey, Dad!  It was irritating, but I have been there.

Like the 1 Corinthians Scripture above, I guess I am the garbage receptacle for the neighborhood, that point on the hill climb when the goblins, ghouls, and the very rare princess just cannot take it any longer and Dad must carry them, but his hands are full of trash.

Yes, I can be your trash can and still glorify God.

Next time, the trash can stays on the back porch and I will set the alarm to wake up early enough the next morning.  Or, even better, I’ll put the trash can out the night before and set the alarm to go out and bag up what the bedraggled Dads left the night before.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.

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