"God is going to give you the ability to pull people from the trash heap of life...." These were words spoken to my wife Jeanie and I around 10 years ago and for some reason I've been thinking about what was said for several days, several times a day! I just can't get it out of my mind!
What is the "trash heap of life" anyway? "Life" is basically the experience of being alive. "Heap" is a large, disordered collection of things thrown one on another. "Trash" is things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away.
Finally I start getting the picture. Can you see it? The "trash heap of life" is simply the experiences of life that pile one on top of the other that make us feel useless. We feel as though we're no longer wanted and have been "thrown away" by life! We're of no use to anyone or anything! Life is now a meaningless experience in which our only goal is to survive. Why? Because we're useless, life has proved that.
I've opened the door and walked into the room of useless before. First in our marriage and then in our ministry with the most recent being our ministry. You know....stepping out of the boat to walk on water and live the dreams you've been dreaming only to sink like a bucket filled with concrete.
Straight to the bottom with our dreams, our ministry, our finances, our relationships. It's amazing the number of friends that just drop off the face of the earth when you've sank to the bottom. There must be something wrong with this guy, probably some sin in his life or something. Obviously he doesn't have what it takes.
It's that feeling you get when you've failed your wife, your kids, your friends and most importantly God. After all the dream started with me. Talk about feeling useless, just a piece of trash. Even after we left Colorado and returned to Texas the trash just kept piling up! Nothing but one big pile of useless!
But here's the good news, news that will rock your world! When I walked into the room of useless I didn't enter alone. God invited Himself in and He didn't even knock. And I quickly realized that my pile of trash was no match for God!
Why was God in the room with me? Because He wanted me to get close to Him. That's right, trash heap and all God wanted me close. And this is when the following Bible verse became more real to me than ever before. "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28
Wait a minute, my "trash heap" is going to become something good? Yes it is because God has the ability to turn your trash heap into His treasure! He does this because He still has a purpose for your life and when you are a person living with purpose, God's purpose, you're certainly not useless but my friend you are useful!
And here's the cool thing about it all. You never left the room of useless! God took the room of useless and turned into the room of useful! That's just what He does and He's good at it! Useless things never stay useless in God presence! God has the power and the desire to turn your pain into His purpose! Just get close to Him!
I love the following quote from Dave Ramsey. I've used it before. "The difference between the successful and the troubled is not error-free living; it is that by discovering and implementing a life calling, the successful stand on their pile of trash while the troubled sit under theirs."
Several years ago when God told us He was going to give us the ability to pull people from the trash heap of life and make them men and women of God little did we know that this ability would come from experiencing our own trash heap. But I'm so thankful that God's not intimidated by the trash heap. In fact He welcomes it because He delights in turning it into His treasure!
I don't know what "trash heap" you might be looking at today but can I tell you from experience, no trash heap is to big for God. Just get close to Him and let Him remind you of who He created you to be. No longer will you feel useless but you'll know you're useful to a loving God!
It's time to DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
What is the "trash heap of life" anyway? "Life" is basically the experience of being alive. "Heap" is a large, disordered collection of things thrown one on another. "Trash" is things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away.
Finally I start getting the picture. Can you see it? The "trash heap of life" is simply the experiences of life that pile one on top of the other that make us feel useless. We feel as though we're no longer wanted and have been "thrown away" by life! We're of no use to anyone or anything! Life is now a meaningless experience in which our only goal is to survive. Why? Because we're useless, life has proved that.
I've opened the door and walked into the room of useless before. First in our marriage and then in our ministry with the most recent being our ministry. You know....stepping out of the boat to walk on water and live the dreams you've been dreaming only to sink like a bucket filled with concrete.
Straight to the bottom with our dreams, our ministry, our finances, our relationships. It's amazing the number of friends that just drop off the face of the earth when you've sank to the bottom. There must be something wrong with this guy, probably some sin in his life or something. Obviously he doesn't have what it takes.
It's that feeling you get when you've failed your wife, your kids, your friends and most importantly God. After all the dream started with me. Talk about feeling useless, just a piece of trash. Even after we left Colorado and returned to Texas the trash just kept piling up! Nothing but one big pile of useless!
But here's the good news, news that will rock your world! When I walked into the room of useless I didn't enter alone. God invited Himself in and He didn't even knock. And I quickly realized that my pile of trash was no match for God!
Why was God in the room with me? Because He wanted me to get close to Him. That's right, trash heap and all God wanted me close. And this is when the following Bible verse became more real to me than ever before. "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28
Wait a minute, my "trash heap" is going to become something good? Yes it is because God has the ability to turn your trash heap into His treasure! He does this because He still has a purpose for your life and when you are a person living with purpose, God's purpose, you're certainly not useless but my friend you are useful!
And here's the cool thing about it all. You never left the room of useless! God took the room of useless and turned into the room of useful! That's just what He does and He's good at it! Useless things never stay useless in God presence! God has the power and the desire to turn your pain into His purpose! Just get close to Him!
I love the following quote from Dave Ramsey. I've used it before. "The difference between the successful and the troubled is not error-free living; it is that by discovering and implementing a life calling, the successful stand on their pile of trash while the troubled sit under theirs."
Several years ago when God told us He was going to give us the ability to pull people from the trash heap of life and make them men and women of God little did we know that this ability would come from experiencing our own trash heap. But I'm so thankful that God's not intimidated by the trash heap. In fact He welcomes it because He delights in turning it into His treasure!
I don't know what "trash heap" you might be looking at today but can I tell you from experience, no trash heap is to big for God. Just get close to Him and let Him remind you of who He created you to be. No longer will you feel useless but you'll know you're useful to a loving God!
It's time to DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
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