One of the clients I worked for had a recycling yard which is a nice name for a garbage dump.   The amount of garbage brought in to the yard every day amazed me. One huge truck after another drove in to dump their contents in the yard. The garbage was sorted, loaded, and shipped out to yet another yard. Load after load, day after day, week after week; garbage is dumped, sorted, loaded and shipped.

The funny thing is that the piles never seemed to get smaller. You would think after awhile people would run out of garbage or the loads shipped out would somehow be more than what came in.

I remember when my life felt just like a garbage yard. Load after load of “junk” was delivered including health issues, financial burdens, raising sons, and trying to keep home somewhat in order felt like truck load after truck load of stuff dumped on top of me.

I felt buried under a sea of stress. The piles heaped on my shoulders where heavy and weighed me down.  I tried to claw my way to the top of the heap, but never reached the surface. Life seemed utterly hopeless.  I had to give up, throw in the towel, raise the white flag and surrender.

God sorts through all of the garbage we have piled up in our lives and takes it away to reveal the beauty He knows lives within our souls. Regardless of the sin, deception, pain, or fear, God sees Jesus who is rooted in our heart. All God wants from us is to relinquish our control to Him; to allow Him to move the trash out and His love in.

May all of our garbage heaps be moved, reduced, and compacted by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Linda Guteres

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28