It had been a long day. I was tired ... resentful ... bitter ... angry. It seemed no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. Everything seemed wrong. In short, I was in full blown self-pity mode. I complained loudly to the Lord as I drove toward my sister's home, thinking only about myself. … Me-me-me-me.
I knew my sister, Elaine, would tell me to pull up my big girl panties and deal with it, so I tried to hide my feelings. My sister and I have grown closer as the years have passed, and we lean on each other many times. Since my mother passed away, it's been Elaine who has made me “walk the line”... well, the best she can anyway. Elaine worries about me, offers advice, tries her best to make me behave, and always encourages me to look and do my best, just as Christ does.
Sometimes, we just do not want to do our best. We want to be grumbling, complaining, and disagreeable despite our many blessings. I was in one of those moods. I wanted to be angry. However, I had to laugh at Elaine's greeting, "What have you got all over your pants?"
I looked down at my pants, feigning innocence, and replied, "I don't know." I knew perfectly well there was lint all over the brown cotton pants. But I really didn't care. What difference did it make?
While we visited and engaged small talk, I knew it was bothering her. Sure enough, it wasn't long before she said, "Come in here and let me get the lint off those pants."
I followed her into the kitchen where sunlight streamed in as she tried to get all the lint off. "Well, that's a little better,” she finally said. As I mentioned I had to pick up a prescription, she exclaimed, "Well, let me try to get the rest of that lint off."
Laughing, I asked, “Why?”
“Because I want you to look your best.”
That small statement made me feel ashamed of the way I had acted through the day. I was not looking or being my best. How many times does the lint of life stick to our hearts without our realization? I had been attracting the dust bunnies of jealousy, envy, bitterness and anger without knowing they were covering my heart. Suddenly I felt as if God were saying, “Come here and let Me take the lint roller to your heart.”
So many times we want to throw ourselves a “pity-party,” but God wants us to let all these negative emotions go. He knows if we don't use the lint roller of His word, those “pity-party” feelings will cover our hearts until no one can see His love for us, nor will we feel His presence... If we allow ourselves to be consumed with selfish thoughts and feelings, how can we show His love to the world? Sometimes you just have to get the lint roller out and get rid of the little strings of jealousy, anger, bitterness, and resentment so we can truly live in God's peace.