Composting

 On Monday night during therapy,

Joe-The-Counselor,

As he often does,

Introduced a concept that I found quite profound:

Composting.

 

After the session, I wrote:

Joe said something really interesting about composting things that I wasn’t quite ready to get rid of.

Not throwing them away.

Not getting rid of them.

But moving them into a place where they can be

Transformed and changed into something new that will then promote growth.

I really like that.

Because we all know that I’m terrible at throwing things away!

 

And I am.

Last week when I was cleaning out my school closet,

I refused to throw away a priority-mail box from Johnsonville that had my name on it.

I used the box to store my electronics one summer and I’ve had it ever since.

Currently, it houses my drill and glue gun and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff.

Could they have been put into plastic box that would have been much more practical?

Yes.

But instead, they’re still in their cardboard,

And I still have the box that reminds me of my time at JES and of the librarian that gave me the box.

 

But Joe wasn’t talking tangible things like my JES box.

Joe was talking about the relationships, memories, and ideas that I cling to,

Sometimes to an unhealthy fault.

Sometimes those relationships, memories, and ideas don’t need to be completely thrown away,

Never to be seen or thought of again,

Rather they need to be composted,

Worked over in time, and

Transformed into something new.

 

I’m currently in the process of composting old religious beliefs that focus so much on the damning nature of sin that they overshadow the steady, undeniable, ever-present love and grace of God. This process has been going on for a few years. I’ve been tossing and turning beliefs, adding fresh substance to the transforming pile, and trusting that something new is being formed.

 

What about you? What are you composting? What do you need to begin your compost pile?

 

Oh God: Help us to know what is truly trash and what is compostable. Help us to put relationships, memories, and ideas into the right pile. And then…do your magic. Amen.