Monday, March 31, 2008

Garbage Compressor

This morning I was at the church doing my normal cleaning routine. (I'm the church cleaner). Now before you go feeling sorry for me, I love to clean. And what better house to clean than my Fathers!  Our church is always well kept so it usually makes the job enjoyable. Now don't get me wrong...I have my days where Im tired and I have those days where there's a thousand other things I could be doing, but for the most part it's enjoyable.
Well today I was putting a few small garbage bags into one big bag so it was easier to carry to the garage. Now in order to do this you know you have to compress the air out of the bags or they'd never all fit into one. And....well...you know how there are those things you do in life that no matter how many times you do it, you never seem to learn from? Well having my face over the garbage while I compress it is one of them! Yuk! Oh what a smell.  The smell instantly made my hair curl!  I stood there for a second and said, what can I learn from this? As I was laughing in my head....I was thinking...um HELLO! MOVE YOUR HEAD...or at least don't inhale! But I felt the Lord showing me something.  When that garbage bag was just sitting there, there was no smell...or no smell that got my attention.  But when it was compressed it gave off a foul smell. And I thought, so many times in our Christian walk we are doing really well, and it's not until we are compressed, bumped or moved around that we see what's really inside of us, or inside of one another. It's in those times of testing or in those trials that we choose to send out an aroma of bitterness, wrong attitudes or unwholesome talk. Or in those times of testing we have the power to rise above, or allow the Spirit to work through us to rise us above and give off a pleasing aroma to those around us. It's in those pressing times when people around will see what we are really filled with. 

I challenge you this week, to watch what comes out.... see what comes out when you are pressed on every side, when you are being persecuted....
 
For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.....Matt 12:33

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