Take Out The Trash

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24

You most likely have jobs to do to help out around the house. Your brother, sister, and parents have chores too. It is someone’s job to take out the trash. That family member might empty all the wastebaskets into a bigger trash can each day, or he or she might just collect it all once or twice a week, when it’s time for the garbage truck to come pick it up. If you forget to take out the kitchen trash, it soon starts to smell. Rotted vegetable peels and rotten potatoes especially smell bad, and that’s often a reminder you forgot to do your job.

Just as you get rid of the trash that accumulates in your house, it’s important to get rid of the trash that builds up in your life. The psalmist David was aware of that. He asked God to search his heart and thoughts and to point out any wrong thing. That’s important to do.

As you go through the day, you may not give a lot of thought to each decision you make, each reaction you have, or each word you say. That’s why it’s a good idea to take time each night to think about the day. Were there times you felt God speaking to your heart or prompting you to do something? Did you do it? Were there things that you did or said that you knew God didn’t want you to do or say? How did you feel afterward? Do you owe someone an apology?

When you start doing this each night, it will make you more aware of what you do during the day. It will help guide your thoughts and actions and help you to consider what God wants you to do in each situation.

Like the psalmist, take inventory of your heart, and ask God to take away any trash.

Volunteer to be the one to collect the trash at your house this week if it’s not already your job. Share Psalm 139:23-24 with your family.