This morning, as I was taking inventory of our pantry so I could determine what needs to go on the grocery list, some fun memories and some thoughts came across my mind.
My husband and I have two wonderful sons who are now adults and out of the house. I remembered full well when they were teens though how much they could eat! If you have teenage boys, you know what I'm talking about, especially if they are in sports which ours were. Thank goodness for stores with club membership where items are sold in large quantities so we could buy large quantities and have them last more than a week.
One day when the guys were young, as I was taking inventory of what was in the pantry, just like I am doing today to create a grocery list, I discovered a caramel apple kit that was two years old! Yuck! Needless to say, I threw it out. That was not the norm as I restocked our pantry regularly. Besides the caramel kit, I must say there were usually no old items in my pantry. With the two boys’ ferocious appetite, food did not have a chance to get old as inventory gets depleted and then replenished pretty quickly! I have to smile and say that at the time, the boys would sometimes fuss at me because everything I bought, I tried to buy the healthy version. Even chips were the all-natural kind made with corn flour, flax seeds, evaporated cane juice, and sea salt – all natural ingredients one can read! Mind you, when they were younger (15+ years ago), there weren't as many healthy choices as there are today. A funny story: One day they saw a certain type of pastry that was labeled organic and asked if they could get them to eat for breakfast. I declined their request. And they pursued with, "But mom, it said 'organic' on the box!" I still did not get it explaining that basically it was just white flour and sugar and they needed more than that for breakfast. And no, I didn't just feed them alfalfa sprouts - haha :)
Another thought I had this morning as I was doing inventory for the grocery list was about "the pantry" of my heart -- all the different things I store in it. I get busy or into the routines of daily life that I do not stop and think about what is in my heart often, and if anything needed to be thrown out. Why am I annoyed with certain situations? Why am I irritated? Jesus said that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45) No one stores up anger or disappointment on purpose just like no one intentionally keeps expired food like my caramel kit around. But when situations make us upset and we do not deal with them, they stay in our hearts and go bad like the caramel kit. Worse than that kit is something most of us have experienced in our refrigerators – forgotten food that goes moldy! Why? Because it was tucked in the back and forgotten about. If you eat the rotten moldy food, you could get very sick, or at the very least, feel some uncomfortable side effects. Well, what overflows out of our hearts when we have unresolved emotions or circumstances can often have unpleasant effects on those around us. At the very least, they feel uncomfortable, but sometimes we can hurt others based on what we say.
Let us go through the pantry of our hearts regularly, myself included. What's stuck in the back and forgotten about? Let us work on getting rid of anger, hurts, and disappointments so nothing has a chance to rot. Let us "restock" with things that will revive our souls, lift our spirits, and work on these things tucked in the back. Sometimes when I feel unsettled in my spirit, and before I figure out what is wrong, I turn to God’s Word which always nourishes and soothes my soul, along with praise songs.
We each have different ways to replenish our soul and spirit. If you do not know, explore different ways until you find one that connects your soul to the heart of God. If being in God’s creation, connects you to Him, find a quiet park or body of water. For some, worship and connection come with music. Yet, others may find their quiet time by reading His word. There are numerous ways and each is unique because God has made each of us unique.
I am a visual learner. What works for me sometimes is to close my eyes and visualize myself curled up on my Heavenly Father’s lap. He is my Heavenly Daddy who loves me and constantly wants a close relationship with me, so I have no fear about what I say to or ask of Him. I tell Him my hurt and pain like a child coming to a parent with a boo-boo on their skinned knees for I know He heals me. I tell Him my sins, ask for forgiveness, and ask Him to reveal the things stored up in my heart that I need to let go. I ask Him to do a spiritual operation on my heart and remove the yuck in it. I then ask Him to fill it full of His love and goodness so that what comes out of me whether in words or by my actions, is an overflow of what is in my heart -- love and goodness.
Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV Get rid of all bitterness rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.
