What’s in Your Pocket?

A friend approached me recently after my last monthly inspiration meeting. She held out her hand and showed me the things she carries in her pocket every day. You too can see those items above in the title picture. The items she carries have significant meanings and importance to her. I began to think about this. What do I carry in my pocket every day? Also, what does a pocket represent to me?

I don’t carry anything in my pockets primarily because I don’t have pockets. As I think about this, I realize pockets could be my heart, my mind or something totally different. Let’s start with my pocket being my heart.

There are so many things I hold in my heart. Thankfully God has shown me how to remove hate from my heart. I carried that for many, many years but no more. My heart is the main pocket for the Holy Spirit to reside. This pocket holds the most precious thing I have. The gift that God has given me when I accepted Christ as my savior. Yes, my heart holds other things too like the love for my family, the kindness that our Father requires us to share and HOPE for those I am yet to meet.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

I realized this pocket truly hold the key to a better life. A life filled with joy when practicing gratitude and love. When God put in me a clean heart (or clean pocket to carry Him in) my life became more peaceful and serene. The drama diminished. The hatred ceased. I saw people with different eyes. Eyes that saw God’s children instead of people of the world and all their flaws.

Luke 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Another pocket I carry things in is my mind. This pocket holds earthly thoughts that bring joy to my heart pocket. These joys are my memories. I to this day can hear my grandmother’s voice when she would call me almost every night at 5pm. I have to chuckle because when I would answer the phone she would always say, “Oh you’re home. I didn’t think you would be.”. This always cracked me up because this was long before cell phones and I would always think, “Why are you calling if you didn’t think I would be home?”. I think she just wanted to hear her granddaughter’s voice. I miss those calls but I am grateful God allows that memory to linger in my mind.

I also have a memory of my great grandmother’s smile when I would visit her in the nursing home. She has a pocket watch necklace she wore that I loved. She always had it on and I can’t remember a time she didn’t wear it. I loved the way she would look at the time on it. She lived to be 98 years old which I am sure will be more time than I will see. The mind is a great pocket to carry things called memories in.

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

If your pockets are filled with lint and dirt or tattered with holes you must clean them out and repair them. If your memories are of hurt and trauma you must turn that pocket inside out to clean it. Hurt and trauma need forgiveness to clean the pockets of your life. You need to heal and recognize that these negative things are not your fault. Forgive yourself and the offender to start brightening your pockets. This can be a long process but ask God to help you wash your pockets and make them white again. Pray this one scripture below, our Heavenly Father will hear. He knows everything about you and he wants you to ask for a pocket cleaning.

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

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your savior then ask Him to come into your life so you can clean your heart pocket. He will gift you with the Holy Spirit graciously blossoming peace in your heart.  Only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives.

Ephesians 1:17-19 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.   I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. ….

God wants the best life for you. He smiles on us when we are anointed with the Holy Spirit because He is with us and in us. In our pocket (our heart) to carry around daily. Please pick something special to you that is a peaceful memory ( a small cross, a special coin or maybe your child’s hospital bracelet) and carry it in your pocket. This can be your reminder that God is always with you. My love and gratitude-LoLo