“You can’t clean up everyone else’s mess.”
That’s it? God, we walk like this almost every weekday morning. You know I’m expecting to hear something fresh and stimulating to think and write about today. You know–“The Voice of God” and like that.
We were almost halfway around Harrison Park when You called today’s audible. I was so ready! Aaaaand THIS is today’s Thunder from Heaven’s Wonder? With respect, Your Creatorship, um, that doesn’t quite meet Celestial code, does it?
Lord, we’ve walked together long enough that I know – know – You never do things with no purpose. This caught me a little off-stride, though. Can You help me understand where You’re going with this?
“Sure. You’ve been noticing all the junk along the walkways people have tossed down on the ground. That bothers you, since you were raised to never throw anything on the ground, even a candy wrapper. Remember that day last week when you picked up several noticeable pieces and tossed them in the Dillon’s garbage can?”
Unh-huh.
“Why’d you stop? Why didn’t you pick up more?”
Well, Lord, there’s too much! I can get some, but there’s no way I could—– Oh. Right. Gotcha.
- No one person makes the entire mess. They’re each thinking, “Aw, this is just one thing. This won’t make any difference.” But if each one throws one or two pieces of garbage or bottles or cans down, soon the walkways are surrounded with litter. It blows around the streets, making everything look junky.
- It took everyone to make the mess; it takes everyone doing a little to clean up the mess.
- We all need to change our thinking to keep our walkways, roads and world clean.
So, Lord, what am I supposed to do? If I take a garbage bag with me every time I walk, I’ll never get home in enough time to write before I’m energy-depleted and can’t. What’s the deal?
“The deal is that you’re writing about it now. You’re not a star and you don’t have a following of hundreds and thousands of readers. But I do. You’re being faithful to write the things I mention. Leave it to Me. Most people don’t do this on purpose; they just get preoccupied, lazy-minded and careless. Just as you get angry when you see garbage lying around outside a business’s landscaping? Or the remains of somebody’s Taco Bell meal tossed out a window? I’ll open the eyes of those who’ve stopped seeing, and get them thinking.”
You’ll do that, Lord? Because there are days I feel like nobody is listening or taking any of this seriously.
“Hey, I know the feeling. A lot of guys who’ve written for Me have felt that way. Fact is, I’ve felt that way Myself. You’ve done your part. Let Me do mine. Leave it to Me.”
Well, when will—–
“Ah – ah – ah? What part of ‘Leave it to Me’ did you not get?”
Right. Shutting up now. Oh, hey–it’s time for our walk. So, what shall we think about together this morning . . . ?
© D. Dean Boone, June 2017