Aspen expects Mommy and Daddy to buy her a toy every time we go to the store.  Since Daddy enjoys buying himself, oh wait I meant Aspen a new toy, she has quite the collection of toys lying around on her play room floor.  I finally braced myself and faced the mess with a trash bag in hand.  Much to Aspens dismay and concern I picked up marbles, broken crayons, and toys with missing or broken pieces.  Soon the flat piece of plastic in my hand took on a new shape; that of a bulging  trash bag.  If it were red it could have been mistaken for Santa’s bag of toys.   Now that the trash is cleared out Aspen can actually play in her play room. 

If I stop to think about it, I wonder how many trash bags I could fill with things I don’t need.  I could start by throwing out negative thoughts, all negative thoughts, even the ones I like to think are ok because they are “constructive.”  I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to toss the annoyances I feel straight into the trash.  Stubbornness should go, I’m sure I have enough of that to fill the dumpster never mind a kitchen trash bag.  I’m sure there’s more I could add to the trash bag, but if all I did was get rid of the above three I would have a lot more space to play and enjoy life.

One other trashy thought: If I take out the trash only once, over time the junk and garbage will slowly build back up and I’ll be living in a landfill.  Same is true for my spiritual trash; it’s good to take inventory on a regular basis and throw out the trash so I have more room for God in the playroom of my heart.