Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Carolyn Howson
Friday, January 30, 2026
[Note from Maylan: Today we have a guest blogger, Carolyn Howson, who’s married to Tuesday’s blogger Robert. As you’ll see, Carolyn is not only a faithful walker but also a close and good-humored observer of life, able to see spiritual value in common things. Thanks, Carolyn!]
On our morning walk my walking buddy and I came upon this tidy house, tidy yard, and tidy trash containers lined up for pick up. This was one of those “I guess I haven’t seen it all” moments that we encounter every so often. My curiosity was piqued enough to go home and come back for this picture to ponder.
It’s the day after Christmas and this homeowner has dutifully placed his three containers neatly at the curb for pick up with the accompanying note on each, starting with please. PLEASE KNOCK ON OUR DOOR! All caps and an exclamation point at the end.
My first observation: What’s so urgent that each of the three drivers needs to get out of his truck, come up to the door, knock and respond to the homeowner’s bidding? My second observation—will the drivers even comply—out of curiosity if for no other reason? And I’ll probably never know the answer to either of these questions. So, a couple of takeaways will hopefully suffice.
Obviously, the homeowner has gone to a bit of effort to attract the attention of waste management by making three legible signs and placing them strategically on each of the containers. He has an urgent need and will be at the door when the drivers knock. In other words, he will be ready to open the door because of that need. A need that the driver can fulfill.
About the trash. It is in place. It is removable and will be removed. It can’t remove itself. Someone determined that it was trash and another someone will remove it. It will be dealt with just like sin will be dealt with.
A final takeaway. If Jesus was the garbage truck driver, He would happily comply to this directive. He would even look at it as an invitation. So, we can be sure that He would take the time to respond to the urgent need of the petitioner and satisfy it. Revelation 3:20 depicts the scene this way: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in…” There is good communication from beginning to end in this scenario and satisfaction is guaranteed. It’s a win-win.
As we go into a brand new year, it would behoove us to take inventory and then steps to properly deal with present needs we have that only our Savior has solutions for. Let Him, with our permission, deal with them as only He can.