Empty Pockets

It was Mr. Bill who agreed to install the washer and dryer in the basement; now, Mr. Bill does the laundry.  On occasion when  I make the journey downstairs, I’m reminded how these trusty appliances surely appreciate empty pockets because there’s quite a collection of items on top of the dryer: coins, nails, ink pens, gem clips, nuts, bolts, etc.

 

The cares of life are often quite cumbersome. They tend to leave me gasping for breath and anxious for a change of scenery, and carrying one day's yuck into the next is definitely not good practice.  It's just awful to wake up to yesterday's leftovers polluting the freshness of today. The new day shouldn’t be greeted with dread!  Alma Barkman writes of patching pockets, "As I mend the holes and reinforce the seams, I am reminded of all the worries, fears, anxieties and doubts we carry around from week to week without really noticing them.  Suddenly the accumulated weight becomes too much, and we break under the strain.  We need to develop the habit of emptying our pockets, so to speak.  We must spread out our feelings before the Lord, prayerfully sort things through, and ask him to dispose of the trash. In so doing we will discover that we have exchanged our 'spirit of despair' for a 'garment of praise'." Ecclesiastes 9:10 offers crisp instructions for each new day, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might ... " and 11:10 guidance for the worried, "So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body ..."  Oh, how we need empty our pockets [cast off of troubles] at the end of each day -- give them to Jesus.  Tossing & turning, worrying & fretting accomplishes nothing, rather, hinders our effectiveness right now.  Yes, like my washer & dryer, I like the concept of … empty pockets!