On Taking out the Trash

Let me begin by stating that my household chores do not usually include taking out the trash (I do more of the dishwasher/give-moral-support-to-the-cat type of chores). I have taken out many a trash can in my life, though. I specifically remember rolling our trash can out to the street as a child. It was always the last thing I did before bedtime that night, so it would always be dark. Without fail, I would run the trash can out to the street and high-tail it back inside the house as quick as I could—because it would always be cold, not because I was afraid of the dark……….

While my days of rolling the trash can out to the street and avoiding the nighttime baddies are over, I’m reminded of our city’s sanitation department every week when they come bang around the trash cans outside my bedroom window at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning. This morning (I think they must have done it to get a laugh), they put our trash can and the neighbors trash can in the middle of our driveway so that I had to move them before I could back out of the driveway. Good one, trash man.

As I moved the trash cans so I could get to work, I began to think about this whole trash process. We create all kinds of nasty waste, throw it in a plastic bag of some sorts, and place it in some type of trash receptacle. Then, some very kind people (who would never block you in your driveway) come by, pick up your junk, throw it in this giant trash compacter truck, squish it up (because that’s really efficient), and then go dump it somewhere so we can forget about it (until it piles up and pollutes our water system and we get diseases---but we’ll discuss “On the Environment” at another time). Then, the next week, the cycle continues. Make waste, give it to the trash people, take it away, etc. It’s quite convenient.

God does much of the same thing for us, I think. Throughout our lives we create all kinds of spiritual junk by our sinful habits and worldly lifestyles. Because of God’s grace, he removes our “waste” from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). God’s Word tells us that he will trample our sins and then throw them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). We no longer have to worry about sin or its consequences if we have a relationship with him. We don’t have to worry concerning an eternity in hell, guilt over past transgressions, or if we’re going to be “good enough” to get into heaven. It’s all taken care of because of what Christ did for us.

Sin stinks. God removes it from our hearts. We sin again. God takes it away again. Sin is gross, but forgiveness is a beautiful thing.

So thanks be to God for keeping us from living in a pile of spiritual trash, and thanks be to the people who pick up our trash cans every week (even if they leave them in the driveway).