Packrats

Packrats are little gray varmints with skinny tails that burrow into the insulation of your shed. When my mom says - "You're a packrat, just like your father." - should I take it as a compliment? If I take it literally, I should be offended and concerned about my mom's perspective of dad, but she is just being truthful.

I keep almost everything. Most of the stuff I keep is completely useless. It takes up space, makes moving more difficult, and gives me the reputation of a rodent. Boxes get filled with pieces of paper, little trinkets, and utterly useless junk. Genetics may have something to do with this ...

Today, I was advised by an adviser with great advise. Looking at my academic career was both nostalgic and prophetic, but it also put my packrat tendencies to good use. I was encouraged to find syllabi from various college courses I have taken in the past, with the hopes of having credits apply to my major at a different school. Leaving the meeting left me hopeful. I have always dreamed of acquiring a four year degree in six years. Today that dream fell out of the clouds like a snowflake, landing on my pile of junk.

Digging through boxes, shuffling papers, sorting through notebooks, and scratching my head turned out to be very beneficial. Looking for six different syllabi, I found five of them. To top things off, the process of finding them was like free rehab for myself. I had to ask myself "Why do I hold on to so many things?"

This idea of being a packrat reminds me of how I look at my sin. I know that God has forgiven me for ___________ and He goes on to forget about ___________, but I hold on to _________ for a long time. Realizing that I keep my forgiven sin tucked away in the dark corners of my life has shown me how little I understand God's love.

The Bible uses a lot of beautiful language to describe how God is not a packrat.

Psalm 104:8-12 says
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

When I hold on to my sin, I distort my own understanding of forgiveness. As I go on in life, I want to let go of the past. God graciously forgives me and He wants that to change who I am into someone more like Himself.

God is not a packrat - so why am I?