One of BJ's chores was to take out the trash. To be honest, he was not very good at remembering. As a matter of fact, seldom did he do so without a reminder. It was not that physical signs were lacking. They often stood full to overflowing. I found myself wondering what he thought about when he would drop something into one of the many in the house, only to have it fall onto the floor as it bounced off whatever stood guard on top.

When I was his age, I had the same job. I would like to be able to report that I was amazing at it. After all, that was in the days when you actually could burn garbage within the city limits. My job was to collect it all, haul it to the back of the property, stuff it in a 55 gallon drum, and set it ablaze! Cool, right?

I wasn't much better at remembering than he was. After all, I had to stop whatever mundane task I was involved in... homework, watching tv, thinking or whatever, to go and do this thing.
I at least got to set it on fire... BJ had to put it in a stinky big can with a lid. No wonder he "couldn't" remember.

After his passing, emptying the trash has became a constant reminder. Perhaps it always will be.

Interestingly, though he wasn't good at remembering the physical act of dumping refuse, spiritually he seldom needed a reminder. As a matter of fact, he was pretty amazing at guarding his heart from letting "trash" pile up.

This summer in Africa, it amazed us that on trash day, each family would set out at the curb a plastic grocery bag worth of garbage for the whole week. What had they learned that we have not?

When other men were entertaining thoughts/ideas which were a precursor to sinful acts, BJ would literally flee from those situations. When the television revealed too much, he would cover his eyes or leave the room. He would request we not watch certain shows because of the content.

There were times when I wondered who the parent was, as he would tell me I needed to read more, as I sat enthralled in a worthless show. He understood that taking certain things into his mind caused him to stumble.

Rather than flirt on the edge of temptation as most of us do, he would try to occupy himself in a meaningful activity. Video games were one of his weaknesses. He could spend hours at it without realizing how much time had passed. He began to fight against this, and tried to lay it down.

He seemed to realize that "up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." 1 Cor. 4:13

In his pursuit of Christ, he learned to take out the spiritual trash. He even learned to guard against letting it in. His wisdom exceeded his years. His knowledge seemed to multiply as he surrendered himself daily. He came to realize that he was "God's temple," and fought to keep it Holy.

Did he do this because he knew time was short?

I cannot say for certain, but I believe he did so because he understood the sacrifice that had been made on his behalf, and he wanted to honor and glorify his Savior. He seemed to get it in a way most of us spend our lives trying to.

"Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." Lev. 19:2

Empty the trash today.

dad