The area we live in often gets very windy.  Gusts come whipping around the bend up to 50 mph, carrying all kinds of debris, and dumping it where it has to stop.  Such as the outside wall of our house, on the southeast corner of the street—where strong north, west, and northwest gales introduce themselves, bearing “gifts” of garbage from afar (or sometimes neighbors’ yards).

Last week, after working out in nature’s resistance-training gym (walking uphill against the wind), we found a lot of trash in our yard, mostly up against the north wall.

At that point, we had three options:  1) Shout out “Hey!  This isn’t fair!  Why do we get everyone’s garbage?!”, and throw it around our yard;  2) Start crying and feeling sorry for ourselves because of our messed up yard, and leave it there;  3) Regardless of how we felt about the garbage, picking it up and throwing it out (into the recycle container, not the neighbor’s yard).

We chose option 3.  That’s because anger and self-pity would’ve kept the garbage in our yard.

This reminds me of life.  Sometimes, like cold northwest winds, people “give us garbage.” They insult us, criticize us, use us, abuse us, cheat us, and/or take advantage of us.  (By the way, when Jesus said “It is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), He wasn’t talking about garbage or unpaid bills!)

How do we respond when that happens?  Throw it back in their face?   Internalize it, let it fester inside our hearts, causing much greater wounds than the original hurt?  “Take it” on the outside, but plan revenge on the inside?  (Like one guy who told me, “I don’t get back, I get even”).  Let bitterness take root and grow until we’re consumed by it to the point where there’s no room left in our hearts and minds for anything else?

Consider this:  Do any of the above options actually get rid of the garbage?  No.  Fighting back just results in “garbage wars”, with ever-increasing amounts of trash hurled back and forth.  Internalizing it, and nurturing resentment, just makes it stink more, and produce heaps of “harmful-bacteria”-build-up that eats away at our minds, hearts, and bodies.  Sleepless nights, inability to love and be loved, ulcers, other related diseases, lack of concentration (can’t think of anything else but the stinky garbage that’s taken over one’s senses)… the list goes on.

Garbage happens.  Sometimes people dump it on us.  Sometimes life blows it our way, like the wind, hitting us in our vulnerable places and moments.

What to do when people give us garbage or life blows it our way? Throw it out!  Pick it up, if we have to, but then throw it out!

How?

  • Examine our heart and character to discover where the garbage is. (Lam. 3:40)
  • Decide that keeping it around isn’t worth the harm it’s causing. Lack of forgiveness is like keeping rotting garbage around our neck. (Eph. 4:31-32)
  • If it’s too heavy to take out by ourselves, ask the Lord and others to help pick it up and give it the “heave-ho” from our heart. (Mat.11:28-30; Gal. 6:2)
  • Redeem that space where the garbage was by replacing it with something a lot more pleasant and edifying. (Phil. 4:8)
  • Don’t return evil for evil—don’t start garbage wars. (Rom. 12:17-19)
  • Don’t pass it along to our neighbor—don’t let someone else’s bad treatment of us make us treat someone else badly (like the person whose boss yells at them, so they come home and yell at their spouse, who yells at the kids, who…). (Jas. 1:19-20)
  • Enjoy the cleaner “house” (our heart and character). Thank the Lord for it.  So much that we’ll be quick to repeat the process whenever garbage comes our way!  (Mat. 5:8)

 

What are you doing with your garbage?