Thursday, July 18, 2013

A Meditation on Not Changing the Toilet Paper

Probably one of the hardest things to do is to change a roll of toilet paper. I must admit if there are four pieces of toilet paper left, I'll try to use three, so I don't have to change the roll. 

It may sound odd but not changing the toilet paper reveals somethings about my heart. These are the heart lessons I take away from my neglect.

1. I can be slothful. "Sloth is. . . spiritual or emotional apathy neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive" ("Sloth, Deadly Sin", 2013). Yes, I'd rather let a small thing slide then do the work to get it fixed.

2. Self often comes first. I don't neglect to change the toilet paper out of malice.  I never think, "Oh, I really hope the person after me knows what its like to sit on the toilet at 3 am and wonder why there is just a cardboard roll." I'm not even thinking of the person after me: therein lies my problem.

3. I sometimes hope that other people will take care of my problems. In the same way I believe in toilet paper fairies (you know those magical people that change toilet paper rolls for recalcitrant souls), I am tempted to neglect to do something in hopes that someone else will do it for me.

Leaving the toilet paper unchanged is not terribly wicked, but it is flotsam from my heart. It reminds me that I'm still in need of God's transforming grace.  Father, keep working on my heart. Work in me so that the first thing on my mind is not myself and my ease but you then others. Give me the grace to be actively engaged in life--to not even neglect even the small things.

Sloth, deadly sin. (2013). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_(deadly_sin)







2 comments:

Deanna Beryl said...

This, was beautiful.

jc said...

Thanks Deanna. :)