What do you keep in your handbag? I posed this question recently on the forum and a number of you responded. Your answers made me feel better about the clutter in my handbags.
Women’s handbags and what they contain have long been the subject of amusement, particularly to men. Years ago my husband and I taught Sunday school,pre-schoolers aged 3-5. When it came time for the collection, one little girl rummaged around in her handbag.
Out came a handkerchief, a play lipstick, sweet wrappers, a bracelet, several small toys, and other paraphernalia before she found the money. My husband watched amazed at what emerged from the small handbag, then shook his head and remarked. ‘I can see you women learn this at an early age.’
Handbags and their clutter might be amusing, but what about the clutter in our lives? Are you holding on to things in your life that you shouldn’t? Sins or habits that you know you should get rid of?
Many years ago when I first started to get serious with the Lord, the first thing He put his finger on was smoking. I’d been smoking since I was 16. Back then we didn’t know as much about the dangers and it was considered ‘cool’ by teenagers. These days we know so much more about the dangers though it still doesn’t stop people taking it up.
Anyway, as I was listening to a bible talk, God laid it on my heart that I needed to stop smoking. The speaker wasn’t specifically talking about smoking, just getting rid of sins in our lives, but God honed in on this for me.
I’d tried to stop smoking a couple of times before but never got far. When life got hard, I always reverted to habit.
So, this time when God convicted me my prayer was ‘Lord you know I’ve tried this before and got nowhere. I can’t do it. So, if you want me to give it up. You’re going to have to do it.’
There were no patches, no medication, no easing off. God simply stopped me. I have not had a cigarette since nor wanted to, not even in stressful and hard times and I’ve had my share of those. God instantly took away all desire for cigarettes.
That was 34 years ago. The only reason I know was because I remember where I was, that it was when I first started bible study that God convicted me.
Sometimes though, getting rid of habits and sins that clutter our lives is not an instant thing as this was. God had to spend a lot longer helping me deal with other issues and habits. It can be a slow and on-going process to eliminate the clutter, sins and bad habits in our lives. Are you allowing God to work on this with you?
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