Psalm 51:10-12 – Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NIV)
The days have lengthened, and the gray sky of winter is upon us. A certain loneliness has settled upon me. I am quite aware of what it is. I will refer to it as the "unopened boxes" in our basement. They are still packed from our last move, almost four years ago. They are filled with memories, both good and bad. These are things we carry around, things we should have let go of, but things we still hold on to, hidden in the basement. Or, should I say, hidden in our hearts?
We tend to hold onto the hurts we experience, and, rather than deal with them, we try to forget. We avoid these things, or people, so we cannot be hurt again. They get packed away and as long as we can't see them, they are out of our minds. When I pass through the basement and glance at the boxes, I think that as soon as I get home next spring, I will sort things out: things I should never have held on to, things I should have sorted out and dealt with years ago.
This happens in friendships and families. There are things we hide away so it won't hurt. How long? Sometimes we never take time to resolve our differences. Oh, the hurt we leave behind! The hurt that should be changed to love. Wouldn't it be best to unpack and unload the things hidden in our lives? We need to get them out and deal with them.
How many boxes have you stored away in your lifetime? May God help us to open and deal with the contents of our boxes, while there is still time.
Prayer: Lord, help us to open up to the hurts that lie hidden deep in our hearts. Give us strength to deal with them, so that we might find healing, for ourselves and for those whom we long to hold close to us. Help us to unpack the boxes of our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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