Junk Drawer Reflection

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19

I have a suspicion that there are some things in the world that are universal.  I suspect we all wish the work week had two days and the weekend had five.  I suspect we all enjoy the beauty of the sunrise and sunset and I suspect we all have a junk drawer somewhere in our house!  I love having a place to stick all that stuff I might need later or don’t have any idea what to do with. When I shove stuff in there  I secretly pray I’ll be able to quickly find that one thing buried in there when I need it.  Of course I realize how embarrassed I’d be if anybody actually looked in my junk drawer.

As I read this passage from Luke’s Gospel I thought about the things Mary had in her heart to  reflect on; it was big stuff for sure!  I love how Luke used the word reflect instead of worry, plan, manage or fix .  As I sat down to pray, I asked God to help me ponder and reflect on the things in my own heart.  It didn’t take me long to realize my heart was a little like my kitchen junk drawer!  It was full of a bunch of clunky stuff I probably didn’t need, wouldn’t really find very helpful and of course a bunch of stuff that didn’t really match anything.  In all honesty, my heart was cluttered with of a bunch of junk I just keep there because it’s easier to shove it in than take the time and effort to truly sort it all out.  

As I reflected on my heart, I’m afraid to say there was as much gunk and clunk there as I found in my drawer.  I discovered some jealousy and some impatience and some judgement.  For several days I carried this junky  heart thinking around  and God showed me so many things that needed to be tossed out.  I realized I was hauling around memories and thoughts and silly wishes that were taking up space he wanted to fill with better stuff.  I came to realize there was stuff in my heart that had about as much value as the random junk in my drawer.  I’m pretty sure that lonely hot wheels tire and broken diaper pin has about as much usefulness as some of the feelings I’m guarding in the secret corners of my heart.  I’m absolutely certain those junky things are not the kinds of things he’s encouraging me to ponder.  

The thing about reflecting is that it’s a passive activity.  Mary realized she could only reflect and trust.  She wasn’t forming her action plan or trying to figure out how to get God to change the plan.   She was confident that in all of her thoughts and situations he was going to be there.  I ponder the fixes and the action instead of reflecting on all the ways God is going to show up and use every situation for good.  I realized that my reflection is always “me” centered; what am I going to do, and this simple line from Luke’s Gospel reminded me in a powerful way that I’m completely missing the point.  Reflecting on the stuff in my heart pointed me to the fact that I need to do some dumping, sorting and re-organizing.  I have to dump it all out and let go of the junk that’s taking up valuable space…space that was designed for things so much more important.  In the dumping and purging, the thing I will make room for is him and his mighty works.  Just like the “treasures” in my junk drawer that I’m saving in case I need them, chances are, I truly don’t!   Dumping out that drawer to sort and clean is going to seem overwhelming and make my kitchen look like a giant mess before it gets better.  But I know the result will be fresh, tidy and open…that’s the kind of  drawer I’m after and that’s the kind of heart God’s looking for.

A Seed To Plant:  Take some time this week to clean out the junk!  Take a prayerful look at what’s in your heart and then pick a drawer, closet or spot to sort and organize while you pray.  The two tasks added together are a pretty powerful way to do some reflecting!

Blessings on your day!