Junk Drawer or Junque Drawer?

Do you have a junk drawer? You know what I mean:

• that drawer you hope no guest ever opens
• the drawer you keep meaning to clean out but don't have the time or energy
• the drawer that is a handy place to drop in everything you don't know what to do with

I have such a drawer and here it is:

I finally bit the bullet and cleaned the thing out this week. Here is the "After" photo:

 Improvement? I should say so. I wonder how long it will stay like that? What are all those keys for? I know if I toss them, I'll come across the locks they fit. Better hang on to them.

These photos are a real metaphor for life. I can't resist working in a spiritual message here. (You just knew I was going there, right?)

My life gets junked up with a lot of useless odds and ends, worry being the biggest one for me.

• What clutters your brain and keeps you awake at night?
• What junks up your days?
• What messes up important relationships?
• Are you hanging on to useless things from the past? (Like my old keys, grudges are useless.)

In a sermon recently, I heard this comment: "God saw what a mess mankind made of things. He heard mankind crying out to him and he sent his Son to clean up our messes." 

My junk drawer is a good illustration of that concept.

The Bible gives us some beautiful words to help us clean up our acts:

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) NIV

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22) NIV

Familiar verses to be sure, but oh how they can help us clean out the garbage in our lives.

Do you have a junk drawer that needs cleaning? Do you have some messes in your life that need God's loving, healing touch?