It’s easy to go through life without realising we are holding onto things that are weighing us down; guilt, worry, resentment, doubt, ...
It’s easy to go through life without realising we are holding onto things that are weighing us down; guilt, worry, resentment, doubt, unforgiveness etc. The problem is that when we allow these things, they are taking up space for the good things that should be there in the first place. Let us imagine our lives as a container that should be filled with things like joy, peace, love etc. When we allow worry in, then it pushes out peace. When we allow hatred in, it pushes out love and so on. There is no space for both.
The reason most people do not enjoy life is because a large percentage of their ‘container’ is negative. They have a small percentage of jealousy, a small portion of hatred, a small portion of unforgiveness, another little resentment towards a colleague, and if all these are accumulated, they discover that 80% of their ‘container’ is contaminated. They keep wondering why they do not have peace and love and joy without realising that they only have 20% room for the things they desire.
Ephesians 4:27 admonishes us to “…give no place to the enemy.” Hatred, worry and resentment and the likes cannot just come into our lives and sit without us welcoming them. We ultimately control the contents of our ‘container.’ We should cultivate a habit of waking up every morning and emptying out all negatives from the day before. We should learn how to say to ourselves, “I will not give this offense any room. I will not allow it to make a mess of my day.” Being offended is not harming those that offend you, it is harming you. It’s taking up space you need for the good things that should move you towards a vibrant and joyful life.
So, what do we do when those negatives creep in and we begin to worry, “How am I going to pay the house rent? What if the doctor’s report comes out bad? How do I pay my tuition fees?” That’s when to say, “No, thanks. I know God is in control. He has got me at the palm of His hands. He will perfect everything that concerns me (Psalm 138:8).” By doing that, we are replacing anxiety with faith, we are replacing worry with peace and in turn, we are putting more positives into our container. We have to learn how to take inventory of our container. Life is too short to allow negative things to weigh us down.
Psalm 103:5 says, …”Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” So our duty is to make room by ridding our container of negatives so that when God is set to work on us, there is enough room to fill us with all the goodies; joy, love, peace, forgiveness etc. If we empty out the insecurities, He will fill us with confidence. If we empty out the worry, He will fill us with peace. It is our responsibility to make the room.
Now, the question is, have you put out the trash today?
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