Sometimes I wish that the household rubbish would tie itself up, hop into the outside bin and walk itself down the garden path to the pavement. But no amount of wishful thinking has ever led the bin to take itself out, and every Bin Day Eve I have to bag the rubbish up, put it in the wheelie bin and walk it to somewhere where the binmen can see it and collect it.
Sometimes I also wish that the parts of my heart which are displeasing to God would tie themselves up and walk themselves out. That hasn't happened yet either...
In 1 John 1:9, we read "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Just as we have to take the bin out so that the binmen can collect it, we also have to confess our sins so that Jesus can take them. Sometimes it's easy to spot what's wrong, admit it and apologise. But other times, it may be that we're not sure if we're living in a way that's pleasing to God or not. The thing to do then is to invite God to examine our hearts and to reveal anything to us that needs to be taken away (see Psalm 139:23!)
Perhaps next time you take the rubbish out, you can use it as an opportunity to give your heart over to God and ask him to show you anything that needs to be taken away. You never know: a mundane chore might just become a moment of freedom and celebration!
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