My dog The Roc gets walked 3 times a day. He goes to the bathroom on every trip. Multiple times.

Seriously – I can’t understand how this 20 lb. Min Pin can carry around so much waste inside of his tiny body.

At my old house this wasn’t such a big deal. There was plenty of space to let Roc do his business. I could also let him out in the backyard when necessary.

But at our new apartment in Atlanta there are no woods. There are no big grassy areas. Just a few patches of public walking space.

So 3 times a day I get to bend over with a green baggy and pick up my dog’s mess.

I carry it around as we walk. When we’re all done we head back down into the apartment.

Then I take the little green baggy and store it in the closet for safe keeping, adding it to the collection I’ve gathered over the past few months.

Ok – that’s almost too disgusting to even joke about.

Obviously the first thing I do when I pick up The Roc’s poo is toss it in the closest trashcan. I hold it out at arm’s length, refusing to carry it around with me any longer than necessary.

Keeping my dog’s waste stored in my closet would be weird. It would be unsanitary. It would be unhealthy for both of us.

I am my dog’s master. My job is to pick up his mess and dispose of it. I don’t hang onto it and lord it over him.

Our Master does the same thing. He walks beside us. When we make a mess, He picks it up and disposes of it.

God does not hold onto our garbage. He does not store it in his closet. He does not hold onto our crap to lord it over us.

He hurls our mistakes into the abyss, farther away from us than the east is from the west.

So if God doesn’t hold on to our crap, why do we?

Why can’t we let go of our baggage? Why can’t we forgive ourselves of our sins?

If our Father tosses our sins away, why do we ravage through the garbage? Why are we so reluctant to let go? Why can’t we forgive ourselves?

I think we don’t feel like we deserve forgiveness. So instead of tossing our sins in the garbage we carry around their baggage. We hoard our mistakes in our minds.

When our Master tosses our sins away we ravage through the garbage.

It’s like we’re maintaining our guilt when the judge has declared us innocent.

If God is content with tossing away your crap, maybe you should be as well.

If there is sin in your life you’re unwilling to let go of, it’s time you took out the trash. After all, you wouldn’t keep a pile of dog crap in your closet stinking up your house.

So why are you holding onto your own garbage, letting it affect your life? Toss it away and get back to enjoying your walk with your Master.

God is not a hoarder. He does not crowd his house with the records of His children’s mistakes. He tosses them in the recycling bin and creates something worthwhile out of the waste.