Taking Out The Trash

For the last few years, we have hosted a New Year’s Day luncheon. We invite friends from around our community to join us for a traditional meal of greens and beans in hopes of good fortune for the upcoming year. Britt and I love this despite how hectic it is prior. With 5 kids, we put a lot of effort into cleaning the house (which was also just destroyed a week earlier at Christmas).

This year we got back a day late from traveling for Christmas and missed putting our trash out to be picked up. As we’re preparing for guests to come over on New Year’s Day, I see our trashcan overflowing with piles of trash. It was trash from the week, from Christmas, and the week prior. I felt so ashamed that our friends were going to see all our trash. I wanted to hide it somewhere. But as I walked outside to handle the overflowing trash, I had this thought: We can often become people that want to hide our “trash” from others only to show off the areas of our lives that look so neat and clean.

That thought really weighed on me. Why do we become so ashamed of the “trash” in our lives that we have accumulated that we want to hide it from people in our lives that we care about? Why do we show off the areas of our lives that look good on a social media post instead of who we truly are?

We should be people that aren’t afraid to talk about the things we instinctively want to be hidden because the best part of our “trash” is that it doesn’t stay forever. It gets picked up and taken away. God sent His son to take away my “trash” once and for all. And yes, there are areas of my life where “trash” still piles up, but I’m thankful for the people God has placed in my life that can see my “trash” so I can confess it.

I didn’t hide my trash that day. I left it out because sometimes life seems a little better when you don’t have to feel ashamed.

My hope is that you surround yourself with a community, and friends, that are able to see the “trash” in your life and help you confess it when needed.

- Daniel

It's hard not to want to hide the "trash" in your life. We want so badly for areas to stay hidden. But in Jesus, we are forgiven. There is nothing we should be ashamed of. What does being forgiven mean to you? Let's talk about it in the comments below.

About Daniel:

Daniel Tate is my (Brittany) handsome and adorable hubby. We've been married now for 12 years and have five beautiful children. Daniel works in Athletic Administration at Mercer University in Macon, GA (where you'll find our family at any college sports game on any given week/weekend). God has blessed me with an amazing man that loves Jesus and isn't afraid to share what God has done in his life. He has defined for me what tangible love is and points me to Jesus everyday.

Do you need a reminder that you are forgiven? Our FORGIVEN bracelet was created based on Ephesians 1:7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace," and serves as the perfect reminder that through Jesus, you stand forgiven.