There's a popular credit company that's always asking us, "What's in your wallet?" Sometimes it's depressing to look in my wallet, yet my needs are met. The question I have to ask myself isn't about my wallet, it's the least of my worries. I need to focus on the baggage that drags behind me. That baggage represents everything I've failed at, succeeded with, wished, enjoyed, cried over and wondered about. It's my hurts, my fears, my love, my joy... It's me. As a matter of fact, over the years it has changed from a knapsack to a suitcase, to an attic, to a building with many rooms and storage areas. I've come to a point of cleaning and I'm not niave about it. I'm not going to get this done in a day, a week, a month, maybe not even a year, but that doesn't make it any less priority. I can't just shove and store these things, I need to take them out of the boxes, look at them, examine their worth in my life and either repack my alters, reinvest the productive, return the borrowed and put the rest on the burn pile! It's too much.

I know that God is our healer, and sometimes I just hand him the key to the house and ask Him to handle it. Then I wonder why the house is still so cluttered and unlivable? He doesn't want the key, He already HAS the key! My giving a key is passing the buck, refusing my responsibility, looking for anyone else to fix my mess. God's loving enough to say, No Deal! I have to invest in the remodeling project. Clean, tear down, repair, refurnish, redecorate... How can I love my home, if I don't live in it and take part in it's maintenance?

So what's in your knapsack? Your suitcase? Your attic? Your house? What's in your heart and who are you asking to do the job ahead? Are you trying to contract out? Are you trying to give God the key? or Are you right here with me, ready to tackle the job, regardless in the cost of the investment and the time required? Are you ready to restore or are you going to ignore the problem and build another structure? Some of us may have entire housing developments to maintain! Some may even think the structure is condemned, unlivable. I've felt that way, myself. God's truth is, that through His son, Jesus, none are condemned. If you feel condemned, you definitely need to appoint Jesus as the General Contractor and Foreman of the job and you probably need to enlist many helpers. Thankfully, God didn't plan for us to do everything by ourselves.

My focus, right now, is to remove all the add-ons to reveal the solid structure that represents and glorifies the original design and architecture. I want a home, in myself, that is welcoming and comforting and a place God and I will both enjoy living...

Thanks for listening.