Dear Dear Sisters:                                                                      Coming back from the farmer’s market on a very hot summer day in June, I was so happy with my shopping. I (well mostly my husband) was carrying all sorts of goodies: freshly picked vegetables, sweet organic fruit, cage-free local eggs.  I take pride in my cooking and my kitchen, and I know how important it is to keep food at the right temperature. I like to make sure that I always know which items are in my fridge. However, the last couple weeks, I have been slacking and haven’t really taken inventory. Making matters worse, I didn’t buy the right amount of food which meant that we had gone out to eat on Thursday night and all day Friday—however, not to worry, I was gearing up for a delicious week.

      Upon opening the fridge, the smell hit me, I grab a feta-cheese container and it was warm. I open the freezer and my collection of ice-cream has melted into a sticky mess—guess what? My fridge broke (for a while too).  Saddened by the fact that now I have to throw away some food, I grab my garbage can and start the process.  I throw away the 1 egg, the cheese, three slices of ham, the ¼ bottle of dressing…another dressing…another dressing…salsa huh?…a whole bunch of rotten asparagus (when did I buy that?)..Wow! half an eggplant…a small container of chicken salad (that I made 2 weeks prior)… well I guess I didn’t need to buy more cheese…another salsa?.. I think you get the point.

What I originally thought was going to be a quick process became a slow and yucky operation. I was really disappointed in myself. I take pride of my cooking and my kitchen—however, most of this food had probably gone bad even before the fridge broke.  I didn’t even know it was there, and that was the biggest problem.   How many times do we let thoughts, habits, and emotions creep into our hearts and just sit there?  Over time, we might forget about them but eventually on a rainy day or when something stops working (like my fridge) they resurface—however over time they have become bitter or rotten.

How many times have we fought with our husbands? Hurtful words get said, and instead of talking about it and forgiving, we keep it… We keep it until it six months later, it surfaces again, this time worse than before.   How many times have we harbor feelings of jealousy against a friend? Instead of checking our hearts with the Lord, we keep fermenting the feelings until it ruins that friendship.

Do you want to know how you can fix it? Do you want be fully aware of what lies in your heart and in your mind (before the fridge breaks down)? Do you want to know what the secret is? …. There is none, no way, nothing you can do.     It is human nature, there will always be bad thoughts, habits and emotions creeping into your heart and mind—there is no way to take inventory of it. However, there is good news is that we have a GOD that knows exactly what is going on.

     “You have search me Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you precise my thoughts from afar…Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” Psalm 139 1-2,4 (NIV)

Not only does HE know us but HE created you in your inmost being; HE knitted you together in your mother’s womb (paraphrasing Psalm 139: 13).

However, sisters, I suggest that you don’t wait to ask the Lord for help until after bad events take place. Ask the Lord to search your heart and mind. Ask him to reveal any negative thoughts, emotions and habits that could hurt others, yourself or your relationship with HIM.  Unlike me, don’t wait to find the rotten items, after the fridge broke down—take inventory (don’t be slacking) and get rid of it beforehand.

     “Search me, God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any office way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” Psalm 139: 23-24 (NIV)

Love, Milo