Hollywood Trash.

I am in charge of taking out the trash for our family. A few weeks ago we were making chicken and placed the trimmings (read: disgusting fat strands that make we want to wretch) in our garbage. The bag was full so I closed it up and took it out to our garage and placed it in the larger collection can. Then we went on a trip and I forgot to take the collection bin out to be emptied. That was a mistake.

Seems as though chicken entrails, enclosed spaces, and warm temperatures don’t mix. We came back and the smell that had permeated our garage was a violation to the senses – a mix between a room full of soiled diapers and sweaty feet pressed directly into the nostril. Needless to say, that will be one of the last times I forget to take the garbage out

I was reminded of that story as I was listening to the morning show on a local radio station in Des Moines. The show has a segment called, “Hollywood Trash.” It’s basically a time for one of the co-hosts to dish the latest celebrity gossip – who’s dating who, who got arrested, awards show results, etc. Normally, this show is a very good, high-quality production that is a safe alternative to the raunch that normally goes on during the morning show hours.

As I listened today, for the first time ever, I realized what I was listening to: Trash. (With a segment named, “Hollywood Trash,” you would think this would be fairly obvious, but I can be slow to learn at times.) By naming it “Hollywood Trash,” the producers/hosts of the show picked a name that we normally reserve to describe the items that we do not want anymore – the things we find useless, old, gross, slimy, moldy, or unfit for human consumption. Simply put, it’s waste that smells awful in most cases.

Proverbs 17:4 says this, “An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.” I was reminded of this as I listened to “Hollywood Trash” this morning and determined that I won’t listen to it anymore. Not in a, “you pagan media vultures! Judgment be upon ye sinners!” But in a, “I don’t want to fill my ears and mind with something that is labeled ‘trash’.”

Think about it – trash. Do you want to fill your life with something that is essentially useless? What trash do you see in your life that needs to be removed? There’s a reason why no one lives in a landfill…