Boxes

There’s a box in the hallway.  It doesn’t belong there.  It holds a gift that we’ve not opened yet.  It won’t fit under the Christmas tree and it’s too large to put in our closet.

The first couple of days I bumped into it and stumbled over it.  Now, I walk around it like it’s supposed to be there.  I know my way around it so well I can even avoid it in the dark.  I’ve learned to live with it.

Are there other “boxes” in my life?  Things that don’t belong, but that I’ve learned to live with.

Negative thoughts, addictions, a cluttered home, extra weight, a bad attitude, an easily cured ailment, fears.  We don’t want them; still we have them.  They are familiar, maybe comfortable.  Maybe unnoticeable now.  We’ve learned to live with them.  We unconsciously arrange our lives around these unwanted and unnecessary things.

We fail to recognize they are hindering our dreams, thwarting our plans, obstructing our vision, and stealing our joy.

In a few days, I will open the gift in the hallway, empty the box, and throw it away.  The hallway will be clear.

I wonder what other things in my life I need to clear away.

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?”                                                     

Isaiah 43:19