As the festivities for the Christmas day were beginning to slow down and we were putting the house back in order, we discovered we were missing one of our gifts, a certificate for a night out at a particularily nice place to eat. After looking high and low in the house, I proceeded to stash of trash left over over from the unwrapping of the presents - 2 boxes and garbage sack full. We went through it piece by piece; but alas, no certificate.
As we sat and once again replayed the events of the day, we realized 2 things. One, we were also missing another gift certificate to the movie theatre, and two they might of got mixed in with the gifts one of our kids already took home. So we gave them a call, and they reminded us that the original box the gifts came in was now repacked with presents for my folks and in the trunk of my folks car. Dad quickly retrieved it, and again we searched peice by piece, and again no certificates.
Setting there, I remembered setting the certificates down with another gift that I later took out of their box and used, throwing those boxes in a different trash bag altogether. The search was on again, but this time the trash was not so clean - especially one really dirty diaper. Still no certificates.
Then my wife reminded me their was a bag of kitchen trash that had been removed earlier and maybe it was in there. On more trip to the trash bin, one more bag of trash to retrieve and go through. And there, five pieces of trash in were the boxes and the two gift certificates - YEAH!
Only later did it begin to dawn on me the significance of the search. We left no bag of trash unsearched in our effort to gain the prize; and fortunately, God was willing to do the same thing for me. He went through all of the trash of sin in my life to gain the prize - me. He didn't give up on me or quit searching for the way to reach me. He died a long time ago for my sin, but until I saw that for me personally it didn't matter; so God kept coming after me, getting rid of the trash that surrounded my heart, until I could see the truth about Jesus and become His. The prize he sought all along.
So, how about you? Any trash around your heart that is getting in the way of you and Jesus coming face-to-face? If there is, Jesus will kee going through it until there's nothing left between he and you; so he can the same prize he seeks from you - your love and your life. Have a blessed 2008.
PJ
2 comments:
Thanks again. I'm so glad God sought you out. Now for me, I'm super glad God didn't give up, He had to chisle me out of a mass that had been put in one of those trash compacters. and He's still chipping away garbage that must be stuck to me with gorilla glue.
I'm gratful His love is uncondtional.
Happy New Year! Meshi
PS. Today Is our 27th wedding anniversary.
Congratulations!!! Even if it is a day late. As you point out, there's a lot of ways to look at this illustration from life when it comes to us the garbage; but God's love is unconditional, and somehow gets through it all, if we will only let Him. Happy New Year!
PJ
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