The “stuff” that hangs on

As you know from Tammy’s post on Tuesday, I returned home on Monday from our 20th Annual Plot, Play, and Pray retreat in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. As always, I am filled up with joy from my time with these wonderful sisters in Christ. They mean more to me than I can say, and they continue to strengthen and inform my faith.

Even the trees in Brandilyn’s forest have faces!

One of the first things I noticed upon my return was that my large patio plant looked very beleaguered. It received water, but it looked very brown and sparse because no one had plucked off the dead blooms, something I do almost every day. I’m sorry I didn’t take a photo of it in that sorry state. But here is a before photo:

Boo keeps watch on the patio and the flowers look great

On Wednesday morning, with wonderful old Keith Green songs playing on my patio speaker, I sat on the stool and plucked and plucked and plucked off most of the “dead stuff.” And it got me to thinking about how drab I would look if I let the dead stuff—the sins, the old habits, the wrong thoughts—that Christ has freed me from cling to me as I walk through life.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1 (NASB95)

Gathering with other believers, whether at a retreat or at church or anywhere, helps us to get or remain untangled. It helps us renew our minds, to get rid of the “dead stuff” that clings to us.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NASB95)

With the transformation that comes with the renewing of my mind, I can cast off the old dead blooms that try to cling to me. Hopefully, after walking with the Lord for the better part of five decades, I don’t have as big a pile of “dead stuff” as my patio plant had.