Drop the Junk

Well, I plum do declare, friend, hurry up and git on up here on this here front porch so you can rest your weary ol’ bones for a lil’ ol’ minute or two because what I’m about to share might just shake loose a few of them ol’ cobwebs loose up in your soul. I was standin’ in my kitchen this mornin’ starin’ at a jar of pickles that absolutely refused to open. I twisted, grunted, prayed, and even gave it the ol’ “tap it on the counter” trick like my grandma used to do. That stubborn lid held on tighter than an ol’ possum clingin’ to the last branch in a windstorm. And right about then the Spirit of the Lord leaned in on my heart like someone tappin’ on a porch post sayin’, “Friend, that right there is just like you tryin’ to earn somethin’ I already handed you with a big ol’ shiny bow on it.” Well, that truth snapped me to attention quicker than findin’ out the “iced tea” you just gulped was actually unsweet. So, scoot yourself a little deeper into that rocker and settle in real good now because Hebrews 12:1 is callin’ out to us loud and clear. It says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Now, bless my boots, friend, that there verse ain’t talkin’ about joggin’ laps around the church parking lot. It’s talkin’ about our spiritual weight. The kind that clings to your soul like sticker burrs on an ol’ hound dog’s tail. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Not be busy. Not be overloaded. Just be still. Sometimes the heaviest thing we carry is the same ol’ stuff God’s been askin’ us to put down for years.

Maybe it’s a habit that’s been draggin’ you down. Maybe it’s a relationship that keeps on pullin’ you away from God. Maybe it’s some kind of entertainment that fills your mind with more garbage than a little ol’ raccoon rummagin’ through a campground trash can. Maybe it’s sone bitterness you’ve held onto so long it’s grown some real deep roots. Jesus said in John 15:5, “Without Me you can do nothing.” That there means all our strugglin’ and strainin’ won’t amount to a hill of beans unless we’re walkin’ with Him.

Just like extra weight affects your physical health, spiritual weight affects your spiritual health. It plum slows you down. It plum makes you git to feelin real tired. It plum keeps you from runnin’ the race God has already marked out for you. Micah 6:8 reminds us that God wants us to walk humbly with Him, not drag a wagon full of unnecessary burdens behind us.

That’s why Psalm 139:23-24 is such a powerful prayer: “Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” In other words, “Lord, show me what I am carryin’ that You never asked me to be haulin’ around.” When you invite Him to search your heart, He lovingly points out the extra weights that need to go away.

Father, show me what I’m carryin’ that You never asked me to hold on to. Give me courage to lay it down and strength to walk lighter with You. Help me run the race You’ve marked out for me with joy and freedom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mercy me, friend, before you begin to wander on off this porch and git on back into the wild world that waitin’ on you, let this settle in your spirit like a lit coal oil lantern glowin’ real steady in a dark barn. When you lay down those extra things God never even asked you to carry, you’re gonna find your soul movin’ freer than a little ol’ creek after spring thaw. You’ll notice that your thoughts will git to clearin’ up like a foggy morning when the sun finally decides to show its face. And you’ll feel strength risin’ in you the way a seed pushes through soil, quiet but unstoppable. So, step on out with courage, friend, because the Lord who has already set your race for you is gonna be right there walking along beside you, trimming away every weight, steadying your steps, and cheering you forward with more love than you’ve ever known.

With joy,

Gwen