- "The Litter
Lady"
-
- I was staying with my sister-in-law, Madelyn,
while our husbands, who are brothers, were visiting with their other
two brothers. "I will be back in a couple of hours," she
said as she put on her gloves and gathered up her large plastic bags.
Madelyn and Robin live approximately a mile from a busy highway and
there is also a lot of traffic on their road. For the past several
years Madelyn has made it her project to keep the litter picked up
from the side of the road. She does this as her part in keeping the
environment and the part of the city they live in clean and free of
litter. As I watched her start up the road, I left for an appointment
and to do some shopping.
A couple of hours later I arrived back at Madelyn's house and she was
just returning from her task. Her face was flushed, she was tired, and
her plastic bags were full but the satisfaction she received from her
work made it worthwhile. She told me about some of the things she had
picked up along the road. There was a large assortment of items.
"It is amazing," she said, "what some people will throw
from their cars to the side of the road." She had even found a
checkbook. She was going to contact the person whose name was on the
checks to see if it had been lost. (Later she found that it had been
lost by a young woman, who was very glad to get it back.) Listening to
her made me wonder what people are thinking when they throw garbage
from their cars. Can't they wait a few minutes until they find a trash
can?
Madelyn picks up only a small area but what a difference it makes.
After she picks up the trash the road looks so nice and clean.
Unfortunately, in a few days, there is litter again thrown out. It
makes her sad to see it and she knows that the job will have to be
done again. She picks up about the same amount each time she makes the
trip up and down the road. Each time she has the faint hope that not
as much litter will need to be picked up
I thought how much this reminds me of the way God acts in our lives.
He picks up the trash and litter in our lives and makes us clean.
Unfortunately, we keep putting, and we allow others to put, the trash
and litter back in our lives. It makes Him sad but God keeps coming
back, hoping that we will somehow see that things would be so much
better if we would just keep the trash out of our lives. Wouldn't it
be great if we would do that? It would make all the difference in the
world.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor
life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor
things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Jesus Christ our
Lord!!"
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