Friday Already
By Marty Schutte | 5/8/2020

Friday already! Where did the week go? 

Bear with me as I once again write about duck hunting. 

During this “stay at home mandate” many people have taken advantage of this down time to clean out a room or two. I see the trash containers bulging with things waiting to be picked up and taken to the dump. My wife has a huge pile of clothes that are waiting to be given to the thrift store. People are finding things that should have been tossed out years ago. I was told by a friend that during this clean up time they discovered a box filled with mold.

Psalm 139:23-24 English Standard Version (ESV)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts![a]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

 

I started to prepare for October duck hunting much earlier than normal by starting to clean out my shooters bag that I take along when I hunt. It has all the incidentals one needs to hunt ducks. Ammunition, duck calls, toilet paper, extra gloves and a flashlight, plus many other small necessities. One of the main staples in that bag are the snacks I take to sustain myself, my dogs and my partners. Sometimes it is hard boiled eggs, candy bars, sandwiches, or fruit. 

Much to my surprise as I was starting to clean out the bag, I found some leftovers in there. It seems I forgot to eat my apples, candy bar and oranges on my last outing. Needless to say they were a little fuzzy and not aromatic. The candy bar seemed good and if I wiped off the outer wrapper I thought I might consider munching on it. But as I opened the wrapper I could see that the juice from the oranges and soaked the wrapper, making the candy bar something that needed to be tossed away. It would not have been good for me. 

Our lives are like the garage, back room or the shooters bag. From time to time we need to assess the condition of our hearts and minds to see what doesn’t belong there and should be tossed. Each day is a new experience with God. Shouldn’t we provide a clean place within our hearts for Him to reside? 

Think this through. What sin that you like to keep, needs to go? What grudge are you carrying that stinks up your soul? As we clean the rooms or bags within our homes, let’s take some extra time to do some soul searching and clean up our minds and hearts.

 

Marty