The Cull Pile

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.


This past week I was riding into town with my dad and we were talking about the amount of food that America wastes on a daily basis.  Dad told me about a peach farmer he met one time who said that the grocery stores only want the pretty peaches because they can't sell the scarred up bruised ones.  So the farmer had to sort through his fruit and select what was pretty to the eye but everything else, that was still good, edible fruit was thrown into the cull pile and plowed back into the ground.   And it is that way with a lot of produce here in the states.  I told my dad it is because we are not hungry as a people and we eat what we want, we don't eat to survive. 

Later I looked up the definition of the word cull because it isn't one you hear too often, at least I haven't.  Webster defines it as:

Cull: something rejected especially as being inferior or worthless.

I wonder if we sometimes create a spiritual cull pile in our lives?  We perform, look the part and behave all pretty so that we are "seen" by man.  When in fact, we are bruised, scarred and oft times, rejected.  Are we wasting our lives trying to be "selected" when we ought to just give God our hearts so that He can use our lives, even with all our fleshly flaws?

So what!  You may not be the most manicured, well spoken lady in your church.  God doesn't look at the outward appearance, He looks at the heart.  God isn't looking to see who "looks" the best, He is looking at what is on the inside.  So instead of looking if every hair is in place and your make up isn't smudged, take a look at your relationship with the Lord.

Ask yourself:

1.  Am I surrendered to the Lord?  I think the biggest lie we sing in church on any given Sunday is the hymn, "I Surrender All".   We don't freely give Him our hearts and lives...we keep the pretty part to show off to the public and the rest goes in the cull pile. 

2.  Am I allowing God to control my decisions and thoughts?  How can we let God have His perfect will in our lives if we are constantly telling Him we know better?

Take time this week to ask God to create a clean heart in you.  It doesn't matter what life has done to you, or how bruised and broken you have been in the past.  God knows you are HIS child and you serve a purpose in this world.  He wants to hear your voice.  He wants to fellowship with you!  You matter!

Until next time, Lord willing,
Sheri