1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,800 Well, welcome back to Rising 365, a podcast committed and inspiring to supporting others 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,620 to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day. 3 00:00:10,620 --> 00:00:13,640 Rising Daily can be a challenge for many and it has been for myself. 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:19,280 And I hope that what you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:20,280 year. 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,960 Welcome to episode 30 entitled, Pick Up Your Own Trash. 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:33,040 So the past couple of weeks we have had consecutive weekends of spending time at youth retreats. 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:38,960 So these are kids who are part of youth group, are invited out to these special camps to 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:45,280 be a part of youth ministry, to be poured into, to be challenged to walk in their faith 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:51,680 or even just being introduced to the gospel to accept the faith of living for Jesus. 11 00:00:51,680 --> 00:01:02,400 But what was similar to every retreat we've been to, we were even on a college campus, 12 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:10,320 is the common trend of leaving their trash behind them. 13 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:11,920 Totally. 14 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,160 So we're all gathered together. 15 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:18,280 It doesn't matter if we're playing a big group activity game. 16 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:26,400 It doesn't matter if it's during a chapel service, if it's a meal or socializing. 17 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:35,920 Once they were dismissed, there was no doubt going to be a plethora of their trash being 18 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,440 left behind so other people can pick it up. 19 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:49,880 And finally, patients of mine were thin and started calling these individuals back to 20 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:51,800 come pick up their own trash. 21 00:01:51,800 --> 00:02:00,240 And the first instinct in words they said was, it's not my trash or I picked up all 22 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:01,240 my own trash. 23 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:02,240 It's someone else's. 24 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:11,640 It was sad to witness that even in this Christian setting where we're trying to instill in these 25 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:18,200 young people's lives how important it is to live a life that's different, man, they slipped 26 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,640 back into the blame game. 27 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:24,600 The deflecting that it's not mine or whatever. 28 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,440 But it was their trash. 29 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:33,640 And all we wanted them to do was come back and pick up their own trash, to admit it was 30 00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:34,640 theirs. 31 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:40,160 Even if it wasn't theirs, sometimes you have to pick up the trash of others. 32 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:46,840 And this is exactly what we're taught in scripture that Matthew 7 for us is how can you say to 33 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:54,720 your brother, let me take a speck out of your eye when all the time is you have your own 34 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:56,720 plank in your own eye. 35 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,880 You know, we want to worry about other people's and we're quick to blame others. 36 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:08,760 But we just took time to pick up our own trash, pull the plank out of our own eye. 37 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,480 We would be able to see life a little clearer and not see it so blurry. 38 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:19,360 But we spend more time looking at the faults of others, not ourselves and taking care of 39 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:20,360 ourselves. 40 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:25,760 And it's also the importance of maybe you've heard this little proverb. 41 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,680 It says if you lie down with dogs, you're going to get fleas. 42 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:36,040 You know, this comes from Proverbs 14, 7 says, leave the presence of a fool for there you 43 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,760 do not meet words of knowledge. 44 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,240 And then Paul quotes the Greek poet. 45 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:50,080 I don't know if I say his name right, but Menanderer, when he writes in Corinthians, 46 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,360 bad company corrupts good character. 47 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,760 It comes from First Corinthians five, fifteen, thirty three. 48 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,560 And what these Proverbs and what Paul is saying is. 49 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:04,680 We got to be careful who we hang out with. 50 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:09,800 Even though we may pick up our own trash, the trash of others. 51 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,000 Persona fires upon us. 52 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,200 And this is the hard part of. 53 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:17,960 Who are real friends should be. 54 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:23,960 Should we be a part of crowds that need to experience Christ, someone who is patient 55 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,040 and kind and loving and joyful and serving? 56 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Yeah, we need to be a part of those crowds. 57 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:34,120 But when we're amongst those crowds and it's finally time to disperse, you know what we 58 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:40,000 do as a person living for Christ as we pick up our trash. 59 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,600 We make sure whatever we brought with us, we take back and throw it away. 60 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,640 We take care of our own business. 61 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,880 You know, that's why it's so important. 62 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:58,720 That we look at our lives daily and say, where is the trash? 63 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,040 That I've left behind me. 64 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:02,440 Is it a broken relationship? 65 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:04,240 Is it a job? 66 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,120 I have not been doing the best at. 67 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:07,640 Is it? 68 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:16,200 What is it that is leaving a negative mark in my life? 69 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,160 And it could be the thing that is causing me to. 70 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:22,600 Making rising a struggle. 71 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:28,440 It's time to go back and pick it up and clean up. 72 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,320 Because as long as there's trash still behind you. 73 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:40,040 That means there's situations that aren't closed. 74 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,520 That need to be addressed. 75 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:48,960 But when you take those hard steps to make things right. 76 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:50,200 To clean up your own mess. 77 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:51,640 Pick up your own trash. 78 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:57,560 All of a sudden, you're free from the burden of your past. 79 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:02,400 Because you know you've done all you can to clean it up. 80 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,760 You actually feel proud of yourself. 81 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,880 You know, moving forward, you're going to never. 82 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:14,960 I use that strong word, never leave trash behind again. 83 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,640 We all know what happens when. 84 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:23,000 People go to like a beach or a campsite and. 85 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,720 Hiking trails and people pack in trash. 86 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,280 They pack in items that they're going to need. 87 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:31,720 Food. 88 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:33,960 Necessities. 89 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,720 But sadly, they leave them behind. 90 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,000 Making what was once a beautiful place. 91 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,040 Nothing but trash now. 92 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,440 Nothing but a garbage heap. 93 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,240 And how that not only affects them. 94 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,640 But it affects the people who come behind you. 95 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,760 That's why it's so important to. 96 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,120 Hack out what you pack in. 97 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,760 As some of those signs say at these. 98 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,760 Wonderful and beautiful parks that there are. 99 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,320 But how important it is to pack out your own trash 100 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,280 and throw it away. 101 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,160 People can look at your life and. 102 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,840 One, you can be again, proud of your life. 103 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:16,400 And two others will know that you are responsible, respectful. 104 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,960 Individual who will do all that they can to make things right 105 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,400 when they leave. 106 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,200 And they're going to trust you. 107 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:27,320 So I hope you're inspired and you start picking up your own trash 108 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,480 and take those steps to clean it up. 109 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:31,600 Well, thank you for tuning in. 110 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,800 I hope each episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day 111 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,040 to support this podcast. 112 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:41,200 Consider booking me as a speaker for your next conference, school assembly, 113 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,560 youth event, Bible study or any special occasion 114 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,640 where I can share the message of rising three sixty five to arrange this. 115 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,880 Simply send me a message or email at rising twenty four seven three sixty five 116 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,920 at Gmail dot com. 117 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,680 Additionally, you can support by liking, sharing and rating the podcast 118 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,480 on your preferred listening platform until we meet again. 119 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:06,920 I'm Mike Pena, reminding you to rise and seize the gift of a new day. 120 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:20,440 You are destined for this moment.