“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…a time to keep, and a time to cast away;” (Ecc. 3:1, 6)
74-year-old, Gordon Stewart, an eccentric hermit, hoarded so much junk and trash he had to burrow through it to get around his home. Then in January 2009 he evidently got lost in the maze of tunnels and died of thirst. He had filled the rooms of his house clear up to the ceiling with years’ worth of old newspapers, garbage, and clutter, making it impossible to walk around. Neighbors said Mr. Stewart’s home had been accumulating junk for at least 10 years. Towers of plastic bags could be seen piled up against his front window, while broken furniture, computer parts, and even an old TV spilled over onto his front lawn. A car dating back to the 1950’s stood in the garage, untouched for years as garbage accumulated around it.
Neighbors finally called authorities after failing to see him leave his house for several days. When police arrived, the stench from the garbage was so foul they brought in a police scuba diving team with breathing apparatus to search the house. They crawled around through mountains of junk and garbage, searching the elaborate network of tunnels until they located Stewart’s body. The compulsive hoarder is believed to have become disorientated inside the walls of rotting trash and unable to find a way out until he collapsed from dehydration.
We might shake our heads in disbelief that someone would want to hoard so much junk in his home, but many Christians are guilty of collecting the filth of this world and hoarding it in their hearts. How many Christians cannot find God’s will because of the worldly “junk” that has filled their lives?
Ask God to reveal any trash you have accumulated in your heart that might be hindering your walk with God.