Destroying things and making them new

I have weird neighborhood kids.  For some reason, my yard has become their place to play?  Earlier this week, I set out an old piece of furniture that was still in ok condition and someone could have used it.  The kids destroyed it.  At first it ticked me off.  I mean, I don't go destroy stuff in other people's yards.  It really bothered me that they would do this, but then again, I left it on the side of the road in the trash pile so why does it matter?

So, last night, Cade and I came home from HEB where we ordered his birthday cake.  We drove in to our driveway to find all the rugrats had taken the piece of broken furniture and also alot of other pieces of debris from other people's front yards and created a fort in my yard?  My first thoughts were, "Why did they not do this in their yard?  Gees, I am going to have to clean this up."  I was annoyed, but then... not so much.  I asked them to please clean it up before they went home for the evening and did not mind that they had built it in my yard.

Ephesians 4:22-24 --You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.


There was a time when I probably would have been really mad that they built the fort in my yard.  Parts of me really did want to yell at them to go play somewhere else.  But as I looked at this fort, this dwelling that they were playing in -- it wasn't hurting a thing.  They were hanging out not bothering me at all.  


We rid ourselves of trash, sin, bad things all the time.  We don't always let them go.  We think we do.  In our minds, because we got rid of it, it is gone.  At first, I was really pissed that they had destroyed this piece of furniture.  Had they left it alone, someone would have driven by and taken it.  But seeing them last night, having created something completely different -- was cool.  I appreciated my own desire to hold on to past things.  I understood my need to be in control of the past, of that stupid piece of furniture.  


Seeing the boards all laying their neatly this morning, makes me kinda sad.  I don't care for alot of the things the neighborhood kids do in my yard (leave their toys where I can run over them for instance).  BUT, little did they know, that by destroying that piece of furniture and creating a makeshift dwelling in my yard, they have helped me to free myself of past things.  


I close with a song by Ginny Owens called "Free"...  It really speaks to me this morning --

Turning molehills into mountains,
Making big deals out of small ones,
Bearing gifts as if they're burdens'
This is how it's been.
Fear of coming out of my shell,
Too many things I can't do too well,
Afraid I'll try real hard and I'll fail -
This is how it's been.
Till the day you pounded on my heart's door,
And you shouted joyfully,
"You not a slave anymore"
You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even jofful noise is music to me
And you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I have set you free
My mind finds hard to believe
That You became humanity
and changed the course of history,
Because You loved me so.
And my heart cannot understand
Why You'd accept me as I am,
But You say You've always had a plan,
And that's all I need to know.
So when I am consumed by what the world will say,
It's then You're singing to me,
As you remove my chains
You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even jofful noise is music to me
And you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I have set you free
Free from worry, free from envy and denial
Free to live, free to give, free to smile
You're free to dance-
Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing-
Even jofful noise is music to me
And you're free to love,
Cause I've given you My love,
and it's made you free
I have set you free