Stuff

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! - Ecclesiastes 4:10

Stuff. We've all got it. Trickling down the stairs, clogging up the lint screen of our dryers. Dust bunnys challenge the feather-duster, threatening to take over. The ring around the bathtub fights back with determination. Piles of unwanted items stack themselves into the garage, awaiting that spring garage sale. Keeping a home tidy requires our daily attention.

It is the same with our heart.

I sat with a friend last night, discussing the ins and outs of some of my "stuff." Negative tapes that have played for years, insecurities about my outward appearance that reflect depravity within. The expectations I put on others, hoping they will fill a void that only God can fill. It was a pretty long laundry list.

Twenty-three years into recovery, my dear friend was willing to extend a hand to help this tender soul who was just beginning. As we chatted over apple turnover, I realized something. I had a choice. I could continue to be overwhelmed by the mess on the stairs of my heart, or I could ask God to help me begin tidying things up.

I'm tired of trying to clean this mess up all by myself. I've reached a point in my life where my face has found the carpet. I need God's help.

Later, as I drove back to home, buildings and trees stood against golden light created the most amazing silhouette. The view was breathtaking. My heart was captured even more by the view inside of my soul. A new lie had been exposed during this conversation with my friend - one I have held onto for years.

But the ugly old thing, the lie that has caused me terrible turmoil for months, even years, suddenly looked amazing against the backdrop of God's light. New hope surfaced, giving this weary traveler just enough fuel to keep trecking.

We need each other. Who can you reach out to today? Who can you ask for help from? Don't try to clean up the mess all by yourself. It can be terribly overwhelming, and it's not much fun.

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is friendship.

Find one. Be one.