Prayer of the Day

I have great difficulty throwing things away. It may be because I grew up just after the 2nd World War when things were hard to get. But whatever the reason, I hate to discard anything unless it's clearly broken beyond repair. If it's still usable - it stays.
Every now and again I will have a go at clearing out. Unfortunately I have to get really worked up to do it and every time I end up chucking out something I really need just one week later.
But it's not only my cupboards that are overflowing with stuff from a bygone age. My head is full that sort of thing too. Attitudes that made perfect sense 40 years ago, but really don't have any use now. Definitions that were relevant when I was young today are meaningless. And I am sure I'm not alone. Many of us, brought up to look on security and stability as a kind of holy grail, find it difficult to relate to a world where a job for life isn't so much a rare thing as a bad one. Brought up to value good manners and respect for others, we can have difficulty working out what they look like in the context of the informal and casual way people now relate to one another.
We all need to be willing to review our values and our attitudes from time to time and be brave enough to let go of those that we don't need any more so that we can concentrate on the things that are really important. There are times when change can be a good thing, But in clearing out we need to be careful that we don't throw away something we do actually need.
When we are struggling to keep up with and handle the changes going on around us it's especially comforting to be able to turn for reassurance to a God Who doesn't change. His values are eternal but even they need to be expressed in a way that reflects the age in which we live.

Lord, Use us to show Your love to the world and help us to clear out of our hearts and minds any attitudes, values and prejudices that get in Your way. Amen

George Craig - Radio 4