Yelling at the Boxes

Yesterday was trash day…

Now… in my current limited physical capabilites, I developed a trash routine.

• I take my walker out to the garage and position the trash dumpster in front of my walker

• I tip the dumpster back against the front of my walker and push the dumpster up in front of my back porch steps

• I throw the boxes into the dumpster which have quietly collected on the back porch over the past week

• I then throw the bags of trash on top of the boxes

• I close the lid and proceed to push the dumpster with my walker out to the front of the driveway

• Oh… I also empty all the junk mail in the mailbox into the dumpster while I’m out by the road.

So… it was at the “boxes in the dumpster” part of my routine things went south. I was standing at the top of the steps of my back porch, aiming for the dumpster opening. Somehow, every box I threw ricocheted off the edge and landed in the yard.

The final straw was the empty cat food bag. The wind caught it midair and carried it right next to the porch where I couldn’t reach it.

I lost it!!! I must have looked pretty silly, standing there yelling at the top of my lungs at a bunch of Amazon boxes in the yard. Thankfully they didn’t talk back to me like Balaam’s donkey

This morning, my wife lovingly suggested I ask the Lord what He wanted me to know about yesterday’s box yelling escapade. As I thought about it, I realized my reaction had more to do with fear than with cardboard.

First, I was afraid I couldn’t pick up the boxes out of the yard without falling on my head. That fear may have had a real reason behind it, but instead of pausing to figure out what I could safely do, I let the frustration take over.

Second, I forgot God’s promise to show His strength through my weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I don’t have to pretend I’m never afraid or frustrated. I can bring those feelings to God and ask for help before they spill out all over the yard.

That brings me to what I read this morning in Philippians 2:14: “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (or yelling). Even the small, ordinary things—like taking out the trash—can reveal what’s happening in my heart. This verse isn’t asking me to deny my feelings. It’s reminding me that I can meet a frustrating moment with prayer, patience, and a little humility.

As I am writing this, the Lord reminded me of the morning prayer he taught me a few weeks ago…

Fill my mind with your thoughts.

Fill my mouth with your words.

Fill my heart with your love.

His thoughts in my mind brings strength when I am weak.

His words in my mouth brings peace instead of frustration.

His love in my heart, drives out the fear in difficult situations.

Next time the boxes miss the dumpster, I need to remember this prayer and take a breath, ask for help if I need it, and remember that God’s strength is there for me—even when the task is just cardboard and cat food bags.