Getting Rid Of Rubbish

Lonnie Donegan used to sing:

Oh, my old man’s a dustman
He wears a dustman’s hat
He wears cor-blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat

Then, we had metal dustbins that the bin-men carried on their shoulders. I was brought up to get rid of rubbish.

Yesterday was bin day. We put out our plastic wheelie bins – a green bin with our garden waste, a blue bin with our recyclable waste. Getting rid of rubbish is still important.’

Yesterday the rat-man came. We’ve seen a rat running around under the bird feeders. Rat-man came in a plain white van. He doesn’t like to advertise his presence. He left ‘tamper-proof boxes for the pest rodents’. Getting rid of rats is important…

I’m reading the story of Nehemiah. Jews have returned from exile in Babylon. Nehemiah’s organising the re-building of the walls of Jerusalem. The people say to Nehemiah: ‘The strength of the labourers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot get rebuild the wall.’ Getting rid of rubble is important.

We’ve done a little spring-cleaning and de-cluttering. Rachel has taken a number of ‘pre-loved’ items to the charity shop. Getting rid of stuff is important.  

We read in Hebrews: ‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us…’ Getting rid of hindering weights is important.

Rubbish in my life… unhelpful, ugly, destructive… thoughts, words and deeds… need removal…

My unwanted weeds need to go in my green bin. My disease-ridden rats need a be disposed of. My rubble needs removal. Clutter needs to be taken away. Hindering weights need to be stripped off…

So, with metaphors shaken, stirred and well mixed,…if I want to… grow beautiful flowers of kindness and goodness… stay rat-free and spiritually healthy… be a strong reliable wall… live a de-cluttered life… run my life’s race…

I must get rid of rubbish!