Doormat, Doormat, Doormat...Door Closed!

I like to find doormats that either match the season or my current home decor. My last doormat had a beach theme, light blues and browns with "Welcome" in the middle. I really liked that doormat. Unfortunately, with all the rain and mud tracking over it, it was time to replace it. I found one for "in-between" that will do, but I'm looking for something I'll really like.

A doormat can say a lot. A "Welcome" doormat can say that you really do welcome guests into your home. A seasonal doormat, can say that you like to celebrate and embrace the seasons. A brand-new doormat can say that it's your first "home" and you're excited about it! 

I think we can be a lot like doormats. If we're the type of person who really enjoys meeting and speaking with people, we really "have the welcome mat out." If we're the type of person who doesn't really want to engage with others, whether for a time period...or ever, we won't "have the welcome mat out."

Sometimes, though, we leave the Welcome mat out when we shouldn't. There can be people in our lives who take advantage of, use, or abuse us...if we let them. These people will keep walking right over our welcome mats, over and over again, wearing it out, tracking all kinds of mud and dirt into our lives. We don't need to make these people feel "welcome." As a matter of fact, we need to remove the Welcome mat and keep the door closed to these types of people. They can try to knock, but they shouldn't be allowed in. Eventually, most of them get the "you're not welcome" message and go away.

Life is too precious to allow anyone to take advantage of us, use us or abuse us. To these people, I say,  "Doormat, doormat, doormat...door closed!" 

Now, on to find that "just right" doormat...

The Junk Drawer

Everyone has a junk drawer. It's usually overflowing with a bunch of things we think we might need someday, things we haven't found a place for, or things that are important but we can't remember why. Sometimes the junk drawer is so full that we have trouble even opening or closing it. Have you ever tried to find something in your junk drawer? It's like going back in time. You can find gadgets, missing pieces, old pens, etc., that you've had for YEARS. 

I recently found myself in a scavenger hunt to find something I was sure was in my junk drawer. Of course, it wasn't. I started looking at the items in the drawer. An old flip switch, a dried out marker, old batteries, varying "missing" pieces, tools, scissors, tape, rubber bands, twist-ties, and some old keys. I decided, that day, to do a "Junk Drawer Makeover." I took everything out of the drawer and looked at each item. If it was something I really did need, I found a more appropriate place for it, such as tools going in the tool chest. If it was something I didn't need, I threw it out. If it was a piece to something that I couldn't remember what it was for, I threw that out too. If I didn't need it all these years, I certainly didn't need it now. Surprisingly, I had very little left to keep. I wiped the drawer clean and lined it with shelf liner. I even bought a couple of drawer organizers to fit the remaining items in. What a difference it made! I could even open and close the drawer with ease!

If you're like me, you also have a personal junk drawer. This is the junk drawer where we tuck things away, like past hurts or memories, that we don't know what to do with and tell ourselves that we will "deal with them later." Sometimes we put things in the junk drawer we wish would just disappear. The trouble with a junk drawer, though, is it just gets more and more cluttered. Things don't disappear, they just pile up.

Maybe it's time we really look at what's in our personal "junk drawer" and see if there are some things that we could get rid of so we don't "carry" them around anymore. Sometimes it helps to really take a look at those things. We might see something that might have been important a long time ago, but isn't anymore. We might see something that when we take it out and look at it, we might be surprised we're still hanging onto it. We also might see some things that still hurt us, that we don't know if we're ready to discard. It's alright to keep some things in your junk drawer...for a specific period of time. You might need to make a plan to look at those items again so your drawer doesn't start getting cluttered again.

I don't know about you, but when I've taken the time to really look at the clutter in the junk drawers of my life and clean things out, it gives me a brighter outlook on life. I'm no longer hanging onto things I don't need. I have to make room for all the new things and experiences yet to come!

What about you? Do you need to do a "Junk Drawer Makeover" today?

Just Press or Say "Delete"

No, this isn't about your computer...at least not the one that sits on your desk or in your lap. It is, however, about the "computer" that sits between your ears. The one that records and replays things from your life that have been stored in your memory.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our brains are beyond any computer that exists or ever will exist. We have the capacity to take in a lot of information, process it and store it, as well as process many things at once. Our brains are wired to remember things...good things, bad things, and unimportant or useless things.

Sometimes I like to joke about that I "need more RAM" or storage space in my brain. Sometimes it feels "full to overflowing" with all the important details I need AND all the unimportant, useless information that I don't need. Did you ever read or hear something that reminded you of an old TV commercial? I'll bet you could remember the commercial, in detail, including any "phrase" associated with it. ("Where's the Beef?" Do you remember that one?) Why do I remember this? I don't need to know it. I could use the storage space in my memory that this useless information is taking up! Too bad I can't just press "delete."

There are things, though, that I would rather not remember, that I would like to "delete." Does this ever happen to you? It seems the more you try to forget whatever it is, the more it shows up again. On a computer, you can delete the information you no longer want or need and send it to the trash bin or you can replace it with something you do need. Why can't I do that?

I think it's time we "activate" our "delete" and "replace" features.

The first thing we need to do is recognize that when those "things" pop up in our minds, we need to look at why they are popping up. Is it from something that we haven't dealt with that we need to deal with (or get help in dealing with it)? Is it from something that we regret? If so, can any action be taken, such as seeking forgiveness or forgiving? Or is it something that cannot be changed and is only a memory?

As a Christian, I need to remember that when Christ died for me, he forgave me of my sins...past, present and future. If I'm getting "reminders" of things that either I've addressed, asked for forgiveness for, or given forgiveness, or of things that I have no control over, and never did, I need to take it to him. In Romans 8:1 it says "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." That means I am forgiven and I can take it to him and leave it there and the next time the memory appears, remember this verse and just say "delete." If it is something that I never had control over or can't change, I can bring it to him and ask him to heal my heart and the memories. In Psalm 147:3, it says "He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds."

Oh, I know the "pop ups" will still try to appear...but now I have a "delete" plan. I don't have to allow those things to keep playing in an unending loop. I will set my "pop up blocker" and be prepared to "replace" them with the truth of his word.

Hey, maybe I'll actually have more storage space!

And the next time one of those old commercials starts playing in my memory...I'm going say "delete!" I need my memory storage space for all the good things yet to come!

Seed Planter or Weed Planter?

Have you ever looked at a garden after a good rain? Have you noticed how quickly the weeds grow? You could have worked really hard at pulling all the weeds out the week before only to see them return after the rain. You know you'll have to pull them out again or they will choke out the plants you want to keep. Gardens require a lot of maintenance to keep them thriving.

Life is a lot like that. We are all gardeners and sowers. When we sow good seeds in others' lives, their "gardens" blossom and grow. When we sow "weeds" in their lives, they grow, too.

Isn't it strange how fast a weed can grow, but how long it takes for a seed to sprout and, then, bloom? Seeds need time to grow and bloom. They need TLC from the sower. They need sunlight. Sometimes, they need fertilizing. A gardener invests in the seeds he has planted. Weeds seem to spring up without any help at all and don't really need much to survive.

Every day, we have an opportunity to sow "good seeds" or "weeds." We can choose to plant "good seeds" in others' lives by an encouraging word, a smile, a hug, or meeting a need. The "good seeds" that we have planted will grow and blossom in that person.

If we are "planting weeds" with discouraging words, unnecessary criticism, and negativity, we will see the "harvest" of what we have planted. It is difficult for someone to "bloom" when all they hear is negativity.

What kind of gardener do you want to be? Do you want to be a "seed planter" or a "weed planter?"

Plant some good seeds today, nurture those seeds, invest your time, and watch them bloom!