We all have a drawer, closet, cupboard where we throw our miscellaneous stuff, our junk, to keep it out of sight. That stuff that doesn't really belong anywhere, but yet we still don't want to get rid of. Maybe you're like me and have many junk drawers, places to cram stuff away when company comes--kids and houses come with a lot of random paper work and the pile grows every. single. day. I just shove it away, out of sight. Cram it into that drawer, I'll deal with it another day, I say. Cram it away just to keep everything neat and tidy on the surface. The drawer grows and grows, eventually overflowing the 'stuff' that, if I'm honest, most of which is garbage, on to our neat and tidy counter for everyone to see.
I sometimes compare peoples' lives (specifically mine) to a junk drawer. All the 'stuff' we cram inside ourselves that we don't want to get rid of, past hurts, mistakes, what if's, I should haves....we hold on to that stuff for what ever reason. We tuck it away into the junk drawer of our minds and try to keep our outward appearance looking neat and tidy. Yet it beats away at the insides of us, just trying to escape out. Some one said to me after my first blog post that when they met me they thought I had it "all put together". I didn't even know how to react to that. Me. All put together. I guess my mask had been doing what I wanted it to do. If anyone knew the furry that goes on in my head. The swirling junk drawer of crap. The self doubt, the blame for past mistakes, the what if's, the how can I do this...I am anything but all put together...
This post was inspired by one of my good friends Jo-Anne. She shared a passage from a book she had started reading called You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth, it says:
"It's time you knew you're amazing."
"I mean it's time you REALLY knew. And there's more:
-You're not only amazing.
-You're enough.
-You're beautiful.
-You're wanted.
-You're chosen.
-You're called.
-You've got what it takes...not just to survive but to change the world."
One part of that grabbed a hold of me...You're enough....if only we could believe that of ourselves. Say it out loud. I am Enough. We don't need that junk drawer to keep holding on to our crap. We need to unpack the drawer instead of shoving all our stuff away, trying to keep our neat and tidy outward appearance. We need to make peace with the garbage we are dragging along with us. You are enough, as you are, with all your stuff. The junk does not define us, but does shape us. It is what God uses to make us grow, to make us more beautiful. And best of all, because we are children of God, we are free from the chains and burden of our junk. Christ carries it all for us. Hallelujah!
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12: 8-10
Join me in unpacking your junk drawer!
~Angela
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