No, that isn’t a picture of my basement. But it is a picture of how it will be, some day! All neat and tidy. Everything where it belongs. Ahh, that will be the day!
The basement. Where things are stored.
All the things we do not wish others to see get shoved into the back of the basement, don’t they? The front half of our basement is half finished but definitely needs redoing.
All the unopened boxes of things we didn’t need or just wanted to keep stored are still there from when we moved into this house…28 years ago. Exactly. We moved here on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1986. Some things were stored away so well that I still haven’t found them!
Over the years, as things got added, they needed to be put somewhere and, naturally, got relegated to the basement. However, as time marched by, the things being stored encroached upon the living part. A little bit more each year. {sigh}
Why am I thinking about the basement? Because I have to go down there. To dig around for things. Things one saves. Keepsakes. Memories. Certain old toys. Pictures. Dishes. Seasonal decorating items. Then there’s the junk that needs to be sent to never-never-land!
Oh, look! There’s that thing I was looking for! Now, what did I come down here for? Oh, yes. Christmas decorations and ornaments. Digging through everything to find the right things, the ornaments, the decorations, the wreaths. And making a bazillion trips up and down the stairs.
Funny, though, isn’t it? How we manage to save and box away the bad stuff of our lives. We stuff more and more junk into that back part of our heart until it encroaches upon and begins to overtake the good-living part.
And oh, how we love to dig up the old, stored away stuff belonging to a spouse or someone else! Instead of just leaving it alone. Sometimes, we just won’t forget, will we?
This year, as you pull out all those things to decorate your living space, remember those wonderful memories of Christmases past. And all the other grand and blessed moments of your life. Enjoy them. Invite them to sit with you around a cozy fire, while you wrap up all snuggly in a warm blanket and sip on a cup of hot tea. Then, think on all the goodness God has allowed in your life.
And when the time comes to put all the decorations away again, put away all the old junk that tends to overcome the best living part of you. Better yet. Take all those boxed up hurts and anger and wrap them up in forgiveness, whether it’s forgiving yourself or someone else, and toss them in the garbage. Send them to God’s never-never-land!
What’s stored in the basement of your heart this season?
if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as the Lord
has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving,
for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.”
(Col. 3:13 Phillips)
Hooking up with…
Mondays…
Soli deo Gloria
Laura Boggess Playdates
Wednesdays…
Words of Life
