The Catch All Drawer

Seems like the most mundane activities can bring thoughts about life to my mind..... March is the month that kicks off spring for me.  I know that spring hasn't officially "sprung."  But to me, the itch for spring and summer comes in the month of March.  With that itch, also comes the cleaning bug.  Yep, bugs can cause itches!...sorry, had to say that.  Anyway...the spring cleaning bug is nipping at me, and as I think of all the closets and drawers that need to be purged I become a little overwhelmed.  So I decided to look at just one drawer in the kitchen.  The "catch all" drawer holds the phone book, pencils, pens, glue, tape...items the boys might need for their homework.  But lately it has been overflowing with tools, gum, and anything else that fits.
As I stared at the drawer and all it's misplaced items, I began to think about what really NEEDS to be in the drawer.  Oh, all of the items were good to have but we really don't NEED all of them.  I have a house full of items that are good but that we don't really need.
Our lives can have a lot of good in them that we don't need.  When we think about what we really NEED to make our lives count, the list is pretty short compared to what we may want, or compared to what we already have.  I know from experience that we can become like a "catch all" drawer.  We fill our lives and our hearts with activities, people, and desires that might be good but can make our lives way over complicated and messy. 
Then there are those items that aren't good and just take up space.  Emotions can stack up like a pile of old, junk mail and cause confusion and clutter that our minds and hearts don't need.  Don't be a hoarder! Dump the trash!....easier said than done sometimes but always worth the effort.

When your "drawer" starts to overflow, step back and look at each piece in it.  Do you need it? Is it useful, beneficial, and/or making your life better or easier?  Purge the "drawer" and feel good about knowing you have focused on what you need to make everyday count!

Purge the old leaven that you may be fresh dough, still uncontaminated for Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 5:7

Box of Chocolates

All that was left in that box of chocolates from Valentine's Day was what had been strategically avoided, but in my desperation to quench my chocolate craving, I ate every one of them! I didn't care what the filling was. They were all covered in chocolate and that was all that mattered. Perhaps it's stress that makes me crave chocolate, or maybe it's hormones....whatever the cause, when that craving hits I will do almost anything to satisfy it. I have been known to eat chocolate icing from the tub, or chocolate chips because that is the only chocolate I can find in our house. Thankfully a box of undesirable chocolates satisfied me this time and got me to thinking....life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get...in my best Forrest Gump voice. But to me it's more like....life's like a box of chocolates made by the most amazing chocolatier ever. Even though I never know what I'm gonna get, I do know that what ever it is, I have hope and faith in being held in His masterful hands. He satisfies my soul....and makes life, oh, so sweet!...even when it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 34:8. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.