Take out the trash: get rid of the apps, to do's and activities that clutter your life.

Prom will be here tomorrow. It is a circus. No, literally, the theme is “A Night Under the Big Top,” a vintage circus theme that has turned out quite nicel even if I say so myself.

But as I read the Psalms this morning, I was so taken by this phrase in Psalm 110:3a

“Your troops will be willing…”

Well, sometimes, I've noticed that there is one job that when I ask for it to be done that no one wants to. The troops aren't willing. Since I've asked, only one student in the six times I've asked it, has been willing to take out the trash. I've seen them toy with the trash and move it around a bit in the auditorium, but only one picked up the bags and actually hauled it out. Why is that?

Is it because it is beneath them? Is it because it isn't as fun as putting Christmas lights on the stage or as neat as suspending acrobats from the ceiling?

Little do they realize that if the trash wasn't out, they wouldn't be able to see those acrobats, lights, or the billowing tent that has consumed the auditorium. The trash would cover it all.

Get rid of the apps that clutter and don't add beauty or function to your life

Everyone wants a new tool, but who wants to get rid of one that doesn't work? I've been intentionally deleting apps off my ipad and iphone screen of late. If I don't use it, I'll send it into the ether of things that I own but aren't installed on my devices.

Like a prom filled with trash, the trash fills up the space that you want to use for something beautiful and useful. So, take out the trash. It isn't glamorous, but it is necessary.

Mistaken identity

There are times that you might delete something that is functional. Take a look at Google, they are spring cleaning right now. They've tossed Google reader into the dustbin and now, it is rumored, Google Alerts will go the same way. They are “taking out their trash.”

Sadly, sometimes people don't recognize the trash from the treasure. Like the person who throws away fine jewelry with the constume, mistakes happen. (In my opinion, Google has put the treasure in the trash.)

Gladly, if you delete an app off your phone or ipad, it isn't permanent. It is still there in uninstalled apps and it can return quickly.

What is your excuse?

When installing a new app, challenge yourself to always delete one you haven't used lately. Cut the clutter and clear your mind. I always keep one empty spot on the homescreen of my iphone. It makes me feel like I have room for more and it is a signal to myself that I will have margin and leave room for new things in my life.

There are times, my friends, we have to take out the trash. Not just to have room for more, but to have room to breathe and think. Do we really want our glass full all of the time or do we want to enjoy finishing the glass and being done for a while.

Our to do lists, our phones, our computers are all full of more trash than we care to admit.

Let's make a commitment today to remove the trash so we can enjoy the circus.