Got Junk in Your Trunk?

Are you a collector of junk? I’m not talking about those lovely treasures we find tucked away in a corner of some antique store. I’m talking about J–U–N–K! Those ugly words someone said to you yesterday, or years ago. Whether from classmates, teachers, family, or friends…those nasty, hurtful things stick with you, sometimes for life. Ugly. Lazy. Stupid. Good for nothing. Mistake. Idiot. Fat. Weird. Worthless. Troublemaker… On and on and on…

I carried many of those pieces of junk with me for years and years. I stuffed them all in a little treasure box in the far recesses of my mind. The trouble was, I stuffed so much down in there that before long, my box became a trunk and it was so full of junk that I didn’t even know what was in there anymore. But it sure knew me and it kept me from living the life God intended for me to live. Why? Because the enemy likes nothing better than to make our lives miserable. So I packed and packed. I had too much junk in my trunk!

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ~1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

Junk can really get to us sometimes. It may be in the form of words. It may be in the form of thoughts. But Jesus never meant for us to collect junk. He came so that we may have abundant life (John 10:10b)! He doesn’t want us to be burdened down with so much junk that we can’t function. And as long as we listen to the negative, we collect an abundance of junk in our trunks.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ~Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

In order to get rid of the junk in our trunks, we have to begin to focus on the true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable things. Focus on Jesus. Because when we start to do that, our lives will begin to get better and better.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. ~Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

On a clear night in May 2012, God healed me of the junk in my trunk. Of course, it’s an ongoing battle to keep the junk out. But let me tell you something… putting my focus on Jesus sure helps keep the junk at bay… and in the process I’m able to give others the reassurance that they, too can get rid of their junk! There IS hope…and a way out!!

How much junk is in your trunk?