I don’t know about you, but I am relieved when trash day comes around for my neighborhood every week. This is the day we gather up all the trash around the house, check every trash can, making sure we remember all waste and place it in the big trash can for pickup on Thursdays. We also say that this is the day we remove the clutter in our homes.
I remember one week when the sanitary workers didn’t come, boy; you could see all of the built-up stuff and trash people had. All the trash accumulated over two weeks, and our neighborhood looked like a dumping ground. Waste fell out of the piled-up trash cans where cats had gotten into them the night before, and of course, the wind blew several trash cans down during that week due to a storm we encountered. You get the picture.
How to Remove The Clutter In Your Life
You may ask yourself, why is this writer talking about trash? Today I had a spiritual trash day. Yep, you heard me right… “a spiritual trash day,” a day of spiritual releasing of soul issues. I sat with God, my daddy, and dumped out all my feelings of pain, disappointment, discouragement, sadness, anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, hatred, and so on.
Wow! I had a lot of stuff to get rid of that was eating me up inside. It was all trash that needed to be discarded. It was literally weighing me down to the point that I could not think, sleep or function normally.
Psalm 34:18 encourages us to go to God if we have a broken heart, suffer disappointment, give up hope, lose all hope, and are crushed in spirit. One version of the Bible, CSB (Christian Standard Bible), says, The Lord is near the brokenhearted, he saves those crushed in spirit. The Contemporary English Version says The Lord is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope.
During this prayer time, I heard the words “Trash Day.” The Holy Spirit began to minister to me about Trash Day and how I allowed all of this trash inside of me to compile over time without discarding it. The trash of people’s words, negative things I have said about myself, what people thought of me, bad situations, trauma from past hurts, disappointments, and even dealing with year after year not seeing promises fulfilled in my life.
Getting Rid of the “Soul Trash”
He began to remind me about our Thursday trash day and how if we don’t get rid of our “soul” trash every week, it will build up and begin to smell, mold, decay, and much more.
Our souls are our minds, emotions, will, and how we think and feel. It is who we are as human beings. Our souls are not designed to carry a lot of stuff in them. Yet over time, we continue to allow ourselves to get bogged down in souls with “Trash.”
So today, I sat with my Heavenly Father and had what I like to call “Trash Day.” I gave God everything that bothered me, weighed me down, made me sad, and discouraged me. After releasing all that stuff, I felt lighter, encouraged, and ready to take on my day.
Everyone Needs a “Trash Day”
I want to encourage you today to remember to always take time to talk to the Father and have regular “Trash Days.” God never designed us to carry all of this stuff around. To the caregivers, the front lines, counselors, and Pastors, and all of the ones who give to others week after week, remember that you, too, need a “Trash Day.”
Sometimes we may even need someone to help us release past pain, trauma, and disappointment, like a therapist. It is no shame to release what hurts you with another trained individual. Go ahead and have a “Trash Day.”
Written by Marquetta Smith, CCC, MSSW and ED at Safe Harbor International Ministries. For more articles, check out our blog page: https://safeharborim.com/articles/.
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