Inspiration

UNCLUTTER

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.” (Hebrews 12:1 CEV)

When our twin grandsons were young, many times they would spend the weekends with us.  One of their favorite toys was a Thomas the Train set complete with a platform that would enclose all the tracks and the different cars–an engine, tanker cars, coal cars, passenger cars, a caboose, etc.  But over several months some ‘odd’ train pieces were given to them that didn’t match the original set.  These non-Thomas the Train pieces caused quite a problem whenever they tried to assemble a working train.  Mixed with the ‘odd’ pieces, the locomotive and other cars would not fit properly over the tracks. Often, they would give up trying to use the pieces as they were designed and just push the cars randomly around the platform. It was a cluttered mess of ‘unnecessary stuff’.

Early one morning, our four-year-old Tyler, slipped out of bed just as it was getting daylight and began to play quietly.  When it was my time to get up, I saw him playing with Thomas the Train. The track was all connected, and the cars were traveling smoothly around the curves, through the tunnel, past the trees and signs, just like they were designed to do. I was amazed.

When I asked Tyler how he was able to get the train assembled and working like it was supposed to, he looked up at me with a simple response, “I just took out everything that wasn’t Thomas the Train.”  He had discarded all the ‘odd’ pieces to a pile on the floor beside him. The toy was now correctly put together, and could be used without frustration, harmony restored.

Tyler had chosen to discard what was unnecessary to assemble the Thomas the Train.

Did that leave fewer cars on the play area platform? Yes, it did.

Were the ‘odd’ pieces evil?  No, they were just not part of the design.

God has a planned design laid out for us on the track we are to take through life. He has given us all the right number of pieces to get us safely to our destiny.   

Many centuries ago God gave a promise to His people: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) The sound of this truth echoes undiminished down to us today.  Sometimes we might find we have some ‘unnecessary stuff’ cluttering up our God-given design.  Maybe we should ask Him what we need to move to our ‘discard’ pile.