My wife and I have a chair that sits in one of the corners of our room. The chair once had a purpose. It used to sit 
at our kitchen table with the rest of the chairs of its kind. But, one Sunday afternoon, after a great meal, the chair leaned back to relax, and broke one of its legs. We decided not to just throw it away like a piece of junk. We couldn’t see ourselves turning our back on him in his time of need. So, we retired the chair into our room, and vowed to get it fixed…..one day.
Well, days went by, and instead of fixing the chair, we bought a new one. The new chair fit in perfectly with the other chairs at the kitchen table. It was like it was always meant to be a part of our family.
Sadly, our old chair has become nothing more than a space-eater. We never sit in it. And, the kids never ask how it is doing. Furthermore, the chair has become a mess-magnet. Shirts, pants, and other miscellaneous items are attracted to it, and the pile of mess has become unsightly. As I look across the room at this once vibrant, but now, useless chair, I wonder if there are other things in my life that are nothing more than space-eaters and mess-magnets. Are there some other “weights” that I need to get rid of? Am I holding on to some things that are keeping me from success in my business and/or spiritual life?
Hebrews 12:1 says for us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.”
Just a few weeks ago, a survey came across the intranet on my job. The survey asked, “How many emails are currently in your inbox?”
I was surprised to hear that many people literally have thousands of emails just sitting in their inbox. And, many of those same people admitted to having no use for the emails; they simply hadn’t taken the time to remove them. Furthermore, much of the email that remained in their inboxes was nothing more than spam. The spam emails have never had a purpose, and yet, they remain in the inbox, eating up space that could be used for more essential items. In much the same way, we allow things to remain in our lives that not only do not have a purpose, but, never had a purpose in the first place.
Unfortunately, the concept of mess-magnets and space-eaters not only applies to chairs and emails, but it also applies to people. Many times, our level of success is limited by the relationships we keep. Dreamers cannot surround themselves with pessimists. Lovers of people need not surround themselves with those who hate, gossip, and stir up trouble. Joyful individuals would be wise to limit the amount of time they spend with those who can’t see the good in anything.
The questions you have to ask yourself are: Am I holding on to some things that don’t serve any useful purpose for me?
And…
Am I allowing things to clutter my life’s “inbox?”
Maybe it’s time for you and I to get rid of some things.
Yeah, this chair has to go.
