The Analogy of the Garbage Removal
*Disclaimer: I did not create this analogy. This was taken from a book entitled Finding Joy in Family Life by H. Wallace Goddard.
There was a woman with a filthy house. There was garbage ceiling to floor, animal feces on the floor, the odor was horrific. Furniture was stained with rotten food, and surfaces were covered in a sticky substance. The task of cleaning up the garbage was monumental. The thought of attempting to clean was overwhelming and discouraging. There were many civil workers at her home to help her clean, because the waste was an extreme hazard. Even though the smell was terrible, and the task enormous, the woman accepted the help to clean her home.
We all have our own garbage. For me, I can spend hours and hours on YouTube and Facebook but it's hard for me to take 15 minutes to read my scriptures, or 30 minutes to exercise. I feel badly for not doing more - serving more, loving more, forgiving more, attending the temple more, sharing the gospel more. The other day I received a prompting to share the gospel and I didn't listen. For me, the odor of my weaknesses is horrific, and the task of becoming like Jesus Christ is monumental and overwhelming. When Jesus knocks on my door and offers to help clean up my garbage, how do I respond? I have realized that often my response to the Savior's invitation of help is embarrassment. I am embarrassed that I have garbage in my house. I feel guilty because I should be able to do it by myself. I'm hard on myself because if I can't do it by myself, what makes me deserve His help? I falsely think subconsciously that Jesus will mock me or make me feel bad for having garbage.
But I realized that the only thing that Jesus will ever make us feel is joy. Jesus has lived his life in such a way that the natural consequence is true joy! When Jesus offers to help, the only thing that we will feel is joy because that is what Jesus feels.
In the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5, the Master of the Vineyard does all that He can to save His trees. He loves those trees with all of his heart and soul. He will prune them, dig them, fertilize them, and maybe even burn them. The trees do not physically do anything to deserve the efforts of the Master except accepting or rejecting any tactics used to save them. The trees do not do anything - the Master will do everything to save the trees.
I believe that I expect too much of myself. I expect myself to be perfect today. I want to be better, I want to be a more loyal follower of Jesus Christ but then I keep making the same mistakes, and keep sinning my favorite sins. But perhaps the biggest sin I commit is refusing the help of Jesus who will clean up any and all my garbage. He will permanently remove any odor, stain, or stickiness from any garbage that has been accumulating.
Just like the trees in the vineyard, all I have to do is accept His help. I show Him I accept Him through trying my best to live a good life, and not letting Satan discourage me with self-doubt garbage.
Any joy that Jesus offers is outweighed by my self-doubts, anxiety, fears, insecurities, and anger. But that garbage is not permanent.
There was a woman with a filthy house. There was garbage ceiling to floor, animal feces on the floor, the odor was horrific. Furniture was stained with rotten food, and surfaces were covered in a sticky substance. The task of cleaning up the garbage was monumental. The thought of attempting to clean was overwhelming and discouraging. There were many civil workers at her home to help her clean, because the waste was an extreme hazard. Even though the smell was terrible, and the task enormous, the woman accepted the help to clean her home.
We all have our own garbage. For me, I can spend hours and hours on YouTube and Facebook but it's hard for me to take 15 minutes to read my scriptures, or 30 minutes to exercise. I feel badly for not doing more - serving more, loving more, forgiving more, attending the temple more, sharing the gospel more. The other day I received a prompting to share the gospel and I didn't listen. For me, the odor of my weaknesses is horrific, and the task of becoming like Jesus Christ is monumental and overwhelming. When Jesus knocks on my door and offers to help clean up my garbage, how do I respond? I have realized that often my response to the Savior's invitation of help is embarrassment. I am embarrassed that I have garbage in my house. I feel guilty because I should be able to do it by myself. I'm hard on myself because if I can't do it by myself, what makes me deserve His help? I falsely think subconsciously that Jesus will mock me or make me feel bad for having garbage.
But I realized that the only thing that Jesus will ever make us feel is joy. Jesus has lived his life in such a way that the natural consequence is true joy! When Jesus offers to help, the only thing that we will feel is joy because that is what Jesus feels.
In the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5, the Master of the Vineyard does all that He can to save His trees. He loves those trees with all of his heart and soul. He will prune them, dig them, fertilize them, and maybe even burn them. The trees do not physically do anything to deserve the efforts of the Master except accepting or rejecting any tactics used to save them. The trees do not do anything - the Master will do everything to save the trees.
I believe that I expect too much of myself. I expect myself to be perfect today. I want to be better, I want to be a more loyal follower of Jesus Christ but then I keep making the same mistakes, and keep sinning my favorite sins. But perhaps the biggest sin I commit is refusing the help of Jesus who will clean up any and all my garbage. He will permanently remove any odor, stain, or stickiness from any garbage that has been accumulating.
Just like the trees in the vineyard, all I have to do is accept His help. I show Him I accept Him through trying my best to live a good life, and not letting Satan discourage me with self-doubt garbage.
Any joy that Jesus offers is outweighed by my self-doubts, anxiety, fears, insecurities, and anger. But that garbage is not permanent.
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