junk

We’ve all got junk.

One day I want to write a book with that title.

You’d pick that book up, right?

It’s easy for me to point out your junk, and ignore (or justify) mine.

There’s junk that accidentally got packed from childhood. There’s junk that slipped in when that boy said, “I’d date you if you wore a sack over your head.” (Word, 13-year-old boys can be mean.)

There’s junk from hurtful conversations, whether I was the recipient or I started it.

Regardless of where our junk came from, it’s there.

There’s a few approaches when we look at our junk.

  • Pretend I’m perfect in public, and beat myself up in private
  • Point my finger at all the people who contributed to my junk, so I don’t have to deal with my own
  • Acknowledge my junk, but leave lots of room for grace and growth
  • Laugh at my junk, because we all have it (still leaving lots of room for growth)
  • Forgive those who piled the junk in our trunk (sorry, couldn’t help it), even if that person is staring at us in the mirror

#1 leads to shame and guilt — two of the most useless emotions in the world.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”wOeau” via=”yes” ]Guilt and shame keep you trapped. Conviction and transformation sets you free. #TheUnburdenedHeart #TheMendedHeart @suzanneeller[/ctt]

#2 keeps us trapped as a victim. It also builds an emotional wall the thickness of a steel bunker.

#3 is hard, because it requires that we examine our own hearts. We exchange guilt and shame for anticipation of God’s work within. It’s foundational to healing.

#4 is a beautiful gift. Combined with #3, it makes us feel human again. Oh-so-human, but wrapped in God’s redeeming power. We are works in progress. We’ll never be perfect. We aren’t afraid to admit our quirks and weaknesses, but totally bathed in hope of what God is doing.

#5 is the hardest heart work of all. Sure, they don’t deserve it. Sure, it shouldn’t have happened. Certainly, we don’t allow them to harm us or those we love as we heal and grow, but we are wide open for whatever God is trying to dig up and root out. It’s housecleaning time and the junk has to go to the curb.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”bfkyB” via=”yes” ]I am ready to stop pointing out your junk, and get rid of mine. #TheUnburdenedHeart #TheMendedHeart #nomorejunk @suzanneeller[/ctt]

I don’t know if we are ever junk-free, but there comes a time that we are junk-aware. Our desire is to live free, so when junk tries to climb back in or some old junk finally wrangles itself into the light, we grab the hand of God and start to unpack it.

We recognize it in others, but that’s not our focus. Rather than trying to fix anyone else, we are in a continual joy-filled junk removal process in our own lives.

So, which do you choose?

Can I be honest with you as you answer that question? The last three options are hard. Heart work doesn’t come cheap, but you are worth it.

Suzie

TheUnburdenedHeart_largeForgiveness will help you clear out some of that unwanted junk. If that’s your battle, The Unburdened Heart: Finding the Freedom of Forgiveness will gently help you begin the process.

Read a chapter of The Unburdened Heart: Finding the Freedom of Forgiveness for free.

It’s just for you. ♥

Suzie

 

 

 

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