I Have a Drawer...


Maybe you can relate. I have an eclectic collection of what-the heck-is-this-thing? You know, for instance, that little plastic cog-thing that looks important, but you have no idea what it is or where it came from. 
 
Or the stainless-steel screw that looks pretty expensive and unique, like something that belongs on the international space station, but you just don’t know where it goes, exactly. 
 
Or that key. I have dozens of them, but I just don’t know what lock they fit any longer…but I cringe at the idea of hastening its way to a final resting place in the local landfill. 
 
The problem is, if you throw it away, you know you will need that stinkin’ thing two weeks later. No matter how long you keep it—even decades—you won’t NEED it until you dispose of it. Am I right?
 
So, I recently came up with a solution. I designated a special drawer for any and all oddities in my life—located in my garage. It is cleverly named “The-What-The-Heck-Is-This-Thing-Drawer.” 

Today it is filled with misfit objects of every type. 
The problem is, in my gut, I know that I will never have any use for these items. I keep them around because they bring me comfort in some weird way. I receive a sense of satisfaction just knowing that they are “there.” I can find them if I ever need them in my lifetime. 
 
Pretty lame, really.
 
I have finally come to terms that I have a similar drawer in my life. Sometimes I keep little oddities that have no real value, serve no purpose, but I stubbornly refuse to jettison them from my life.
 
The need for that special someone’s approval, validation. Why do I ruminate about that?
 
The stubborn refusal to fully forgive someone for their nasty betrayal. What keeps me from letting that go?
 
Feelings of resentment toward God because my life turned out strangely different than I had envisioned. Someone told us that we could do ANYTHING if we worked hard enough. They lied. Why did HE allow that? Why can’t I come to terms with the outcome of my life thus far?
 
Yeah. It’s a pretty jam-packed drawer, an overcrowded receptacle of unhealthy deliberations, pathetic prayers, unreasonable expectations, and pain. 
 
So, why don’t we just empty the overflowing drawer of all the unnecessary oddities? Maybe, just possibly, it’s because it is what we know. In a twisted way, it is comfortable to keep the old key that no longer fits any emotional lock, but we pigheadedly keep it anyway. We are contented to know they are there—if we need them. 
 
Emptying the drawer requires a lot of emotional effort—and what if we need its contents someday? How will I feel if I surrender my anger? My pain? My disappointments? My disillusionment with God himself? Relinquish my disappointment with a toxic church or a friend? Then, I would have to take responsibility for…myself. 
 
Ouch.
 
Take comfort in this—we all have one of these drawers, though we don’t like to think about it very often. The great news is that God is extending a trash can –and he wants you to resolve—right now—to give him your drawer and all of its ugly contents. 
 
You tell yourself that you will miss the collection of peculiarities in the future. But, if you toss them into God’s rubbish receptacle, you might discover something that you didn’t even know you were missing. Peace.
 
Trust me. You won’t miss the obsolete drawer in 2022.
 
For extra credit check out 1 Peter 2:1 and Ephesians 4:31-32.
To respond to any iCare devotional, you can e-mail me directly at matt@forgottenchildren.org.
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