I thank God for the nearby park to which I allude from time to time. Ralph lives near the park. We frequently meet at a picnic table and visit while we watch slow pitch softball. Last night was one of the times. However, let me digress a bit and set the stage.

Within the last week, I read an article about an older doctor who is still much in demand. What’s different about this doctor? He’s blind! In the interview, there was no hint of self-pity. He didn’t consider himself handicapped! That brought to mind people in my life who refuse to accept what we might call “disabilities” as the final word in their lives.

I’m good friends with a couple to whom I ministered as a youth pastor more than 25 years ago. They have a son who is autistic. There attitude toward his needs and challenges inspires me endlessly. They recently e-mailed me about his acceptance into a special program that appears to be working quite well. They’re not letting their son off the hook (or themselves, for that matter).

I think of my parents. My mother is 82; my father is 84. They’re still actively pastoring a church they’ve served in the upper midwest for 53 years. True, they don’t get around as easily as they used to. They see more doctors than they used to. However, they don’t let themselves off the hook too easily.

One of my dearest friends is a retired missionary out in Texas. She will turn 90 in June. Did I say “retired”? She still teaches Sunday School, piano, visits “old” folks in the nursing room and goes to conventions, meetings, etc. From my early years, she has been a consistent and wonderful influence in my life. When she worked as a nurse in a leprosy colony in Africa, then later taught, she never let herself off the hook easily.

I enjoy listening to Paul Harvey. In one of his recent “Rest of the Story” broadcasts, he told the story of the man who had a great deal to do with inventing the automobile. He invented cruise control, “four on the floor” transmissions and many, many other improvements. He worked around extremely delicate machinery. What was outstanding about this man? He was blind from early childhood. He just never let himself off the hook easily.

Counseling has been a large part of ministry for nearly 41 years. I’ve heard just about every excuse in the book for failure and not trying. Kinda reminds me of the old story about the young man who called his girlfriend on the phone. Said that he’d swim the deepest ocean, climb the highest mountain, go through blazing fires, risk life and limb because he loved her so much. Then he closed by saying, “BTW, I’ll be over Saturday night if it doesn’t rain”. We may laugh, but here was a young man who provided himself a parachute “just in case”. He made a way to let himself off the hook – easily!

I regularly have lunch with a pastor friend. He has post polio syndrome. It’s hard for him to walk without help. He has an electric wheelchair very similar to mine. We love to race around the mall together! (Just kidding!) He has every reason in the world to let himself off the hook. He doesn’t. Great inspiration to me and many others.

Well, now it’s time to go back to the ol’ ball park. Between the early and late games, two young brothers came out on the field to play. The younger boy had sadly twisted legs and walked a bit like a duck. He started at home plate and walked as fast as he could around first, second, third, and then back to the plate. His older brother, hale and hearty as far as I could tell, started just behind him and circled the bases two or three times while his brother persevered. He wasn’t being mean. He just didn’t have any condition that would slow him down.

My eyes were on the younger fella. He stubbornly, resolutely kept moving. Yes, he occasionally fell, but he always got up. When he finally crossed home plate, he raised both his hands high above his head in a grand victory gesture! My eyes got a bit misty! I applauded his efforts. It would have been so easy for him to sit in the bleachers and avoid the looks of the rest of us. He risked possible ridicule and stupid laughter. He evidently enjoyed his trip around the diamond so much, he immediately took off for another round. On this trip, a well-meaning bystander rushed up from behind and swept him into her arms and started giving him a ride. He politely shouted that he’d like to be put down on the ground. He wanted to “run” for himself. I’d love to follow this youngster and see what becomes of him. In my book, he’s already a winner. He just wouldn’t let himself off the hook because of his twisted legs, supported by braces.

None of us appreciates good eyesight, hearing, health, etc. as much as we could or should. However, the focus of this piece and my thoughts involves how easily we make excuses about not doing what we know we should. We often let ourselves off the hook way too easily.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your response.  Use the “Leave a Reply” box below!  I’ll get back to you.

(I’m trying to keep my original pieces fairly short. I don’t print all the most excellent responses due to space. If the “responses” get too lengthy for you, just skim them, skip them, etc. According to your e-mails, you do appreciate what others have to say. – PapaJ)

– I enjoyed your taking out the trash story. Here is a thought about the trash. I think God wants to take as much trash out of my life as He can, so I don’t think He gets tired of taking out the trash. He is trying to bring me to more holy ground. The problem is that I sometimes hold onto the trash. He definitely wants the trash out of my life. I can’t clean up my own life —only Christ can do that.

– Well, the Lord LOVES taking out the trash. The more trash He can take out, the more space there is for the Love of God to take root in our hearts and lives.

     I think you like to do the same thing. You don’t want trash hanging around wasting space and gathering dust and mold, just like the Lord doesn’t want the trash of our lives hanging around, wasting space in our hearts and gathering mold. The trash in our hearts is a perfect breeding ground for Satan to take root!!!!!

     That’s how I feel about this weeks Inside Out!!! Good for your Grandson!!. That was a great idea of his to turn your conversation into an Inside Out!!!!!

     – I am with you. I do not like taking out the trash, but I like even less having it sit around in the house when it should be taken out. My hubby takes out the trash most of the time. I have much trash to go through and sort and get rid of. It will take me a long time to finish, but I will get it done. I am determined, for once in my life!! LOL

     As for your question. I do not believe God minds at all taking out the trash. It is the sins we have repented of that are taken out (and remembered no more!!). He does not take out the “trash” until we are ready to let it go and turn away from it. That is a hard lesson in many ways. It would be nice if He would just reach down and take all my “trash”, but I would not learn perseverance, and would not need to repent. Since He does not remember our previous “trash”, He would not get tired of taking it out. Thank you, Lord, for being willing to take out my trash and give me the courage and willingness to get rid of all the trash in my life and turn my life totally over to You!! Amen!!

     Jesus died so that His blood would continually cleanse our souls and keep us in good standing with God. Our duty is to take the trash and turn it over to God. Then we are clean and able to be with Him in Heaven in the end.

– Thank you so much for sharing your site story. It has again inspired me to see things in another kind of light!! I appreciate how much time you put into writing your things and then publishing. It is always great to read the works of others around who are Christians as well!! Take care and lots of love and sunshine sent to ya!!

– Does God ever get tired of taking out the trash? The answer would be “no”. If He got tired of it, we would all be in a very sad situation. As a matter of record, He loves the trash. He came not for the healthy, but for the sick. His friends were sinners – “trash”. God the Father made Jesus a carpenter. My take on that was because He loves to fix things and put things in order. “He is not a God of confusion.” If you look at taking out the trash as “putting things in order”, I would imagine you would get more joy out of it.

     We should be “putting out the trash” each time we come to Him in prayer. As an act of obedience, we should be cleansing ourselves before Him in worship and praise. “Putting out the trash”. I love it and thank you that God used you to give me a whole new perspective on being a “Citizen of the Kingdom”. “Putting out the trash!!!”. Probably has a lot to do with Kingdom living. Thank you and your grandson. My spirit is soaring with this new perspective.

– Whooppee! I am in. I have finally made it to the reply section of “Inside Out.” Cool beans! 🙂 Maybe it has taken that long to say something worthwhile. 🙂 G!

      I do not believe our Heavenly Father ever gets tired of taking out the trash. What do you think Jesus is for? Here, Son, take out the trash – spiritually speaking, of course! However, I believe God probably does place His head in His hands saying, “Where did I go wrong. I tried to raise them right.” The bad part about that whole conversation is that He cannot blame the misbehavior on the in-laws’ side of the family. 🙂

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