And forgive us our trash baskets …

Most of us are familiar with that portion of the Lord’s Prayer that goes, “… and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

You may get a smile … and a lesson … from the way one particular four-year-old prayed, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

The smile comes from the valiant effort, but obvious error, the little boy made in reciting the prayer. The lesson comes from what the little boy teaches us … that we human beings are prone to generating things that are not good, and dumping trash into the lives of one another. Scripture says it this way:

“As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous — not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one,'” Romans 3:10-12.

We’ve made our lives into baskets filled with the trash of sin, and we’ve contributed the same into the lives of others.

We need forgiveness for “our trash baskets” and we need to “forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness,” 1 John 1:9.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins,” Matthew 6:14-15.

Have you embraced the forgiveness God offers you for your “trash basket”? Have you sought forgiveness for dumping trash into other people’s “baskets”? Have you forgiven others for putting their “trash” in your “basket”?

Scotty