Something has been rattling in my car lately. It seemed to be coming from the passenger side and tonight as I was driving to Trader Joes I became determined to find it and make it stop. I tugged on the seatbelt.. opened and closed the glove compartment.. opened it again and saw a loose pen.. maybe it was the pen.. I pulled it out and put it on the passenger seat. 'That pen is going bye bye.' I thought... I can't leave it in the sun on the passenger seat... out it goes next chance I get.
No rattle. Mission accomplished but then the rattle started again. I checked the cup dispensers and low and behold it was an empty Starbucks cup that was sitting on some loose change! I stuffed a napkin under the cup and... silence. The rattle didn't return.
I shopped. The breakfast blend got grinded coarsely for my French press. I got in the car to go home and, almost unconsciously, I grabbed that bad bad pen and threw it in the Trader Joes bag that had been overstuffed by some well-meaning long bearded cashier intent on saving the planet.
No. Wait.. that isn't a bad pen. That pen is useful and needed. If I get rid of it I'll have nothing to write with. 'The problem isn't the pen', My head said to my heart.
I blindly 'looked with fingers' in the bag next to me and nearly got a paper cut on my forearm finding and fishing that pen out again. It is now back snuggly wedged between oil change receipts where it belongs.
Things need to be rooted out sometimes. Sure they do but I don't want to cast out the baby with the bathwater. I'm asking God to help me with that. I want to be brave enough to make changes and wise enough to not remove the old landmarks.
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