Trash & Thrash: Separating the Mess from the Message

If you're not familiar with the different definitions of the word thrash, allow me:

1. to beat out
2. to toss about violently
3. to defeat overwhelming
4. to separate grains from husks

Now that I've laid the groundwork, let me tell you about my day of trashing and thrashing.

Yesterday, Margaret (my assistant with the church's treasury work) and I ventured to clean out old files.  As a rule of thumb, anything older than seven years was pitched in a trash heap--unless it was of an official nature, then those were retained--permanently.  I was surprised at how quickly our task was accomplished.

Still blessed with a few hours of sunlight, I decided to tackle some yard work.  My flowerbeds were out of control.  I thinned out irises and then took to thrashing stubborn weeds and uninvited saplings.  It was the only way to pry them from their deep-rooted stance.  Then I grabbed a hold of the spindly zinnias that were well beyond their prime, their droopy faded heads resembling aged corsages saved long after the relationship with the prom date had soured.  Why did I allow them to linger so long? Was it the hint of color that still remained?  Was it my way of hanging onto a piece of summer?


Pulling hard, I freed the stalks from the earth’s clutch and flung dirt every which way.  To my surprise, a lovely rose emerged.  It had been there all the time—hidden and stifled by the monstrous mess of foliage.  I pulled up the remaining zinnias and piled them high upon the trash heap.  Another surprise!  Sunny-faced marigolds, beckoning "hello."  I stood back and took in the view.  Sparse, but clean.  I breathed in deep, feeling lighter--like a weight had been lifted.  I was pleased with the result.  It was one of those "less is more" moments.

Perhaps you've had those moments at your house.  You finally get to the end of your rope--tired of the clutter and that closed-in feel--and you start pulling at stuff and pitching.  All in the name of simplifying.  Simplifying is a good thing.  But sometimes in the midst of all that pulling and pilfering, you make more of a mess.   Then a visitor walks in!  Horrors! You say, "Don't mind the mess." And if the visitor is a friend, she truly doesn’t mind.

But there are sometimes when we have a mess in the mind, and it's actually time to "mind the mess."  It's time to clear out the clutter in the mind.  What's taking up space in your mind?  What messages are you listening to? Re-runs of hurtful moments, failures, mistakes?  Something someone said?  What's weighing you down and keeping you up at night, causing you to thrash about in bed?  Is bitterness eating away at you?  Have you tried to cover it up?  Have you put on a thick husk to protect yourself from future pain, vowing never to love or trust another human being again as long as you shall live?  It's time to thrash out the grain from the husk.  What good can you take away from the experience?  Is there a message in the mess?

As a teacher, I know that every lesson must have a "take away"--a "big idea"--just like every story has a moral or every parable a spiritual truth.  God knows your pain.  But He also allows your pain.   You've heard the saying, "No pain, no gain."   Without physical exertion, you won't increase in strength or develop muscles.  Without trials in life, you won’t increase in faith or develop character.  “No test, no testimony.”

God wants you to thrash out the pain, thrash out unforgiveness, thrash out the stifling husk of bitterness.  And He sent His Son Jesus to give you the strength to do it (Philippians 4:13).  When others fail, Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother—a friend who truly won’t mind helping you through the mess.  Cleave to Him.  He will never leave you, nor forsake you.  He never changes.  He is always the same.  Permanently. And remember, through Him, we have the victory!  He has already thrashed out sin and death.

When the husk has been stripped away, what remains?  Good, wholesome, nutritious grain.  Life-sustaining food. 

Is there a husk on your heart?  Something you’ve been holding on to? 

Some things are worth holding on to.  As church treasurer, I know what documents to retain permanently.  Okay, so I used a list.  Do you have a list of what to retain?  Check out the one in Philippians 4:8: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

If our thoughts do not fall into one of the categories listed above, it's time for cleaning.  Trash it!  Thrash it!  Then feast on the Word of God, nutritious, life-sustaining food for the soul.  Memorize it.  Hide it in your heart.  Replace stinkin’ thinkin’ with truth.  Stinkin’ thinkin’ is all about us and our feelings.  Truth is about Jesus.  I must decrease, so He can increase.  Getting rid of the mess in your mind makes room for the Word of God.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. —Isaiah 40:7

So whether it’s posies, papers, or pain, save only that which is pleasing, permanent, and purposeful.  Save the best and trash the rest!