But I’m Already in the Dumpster

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 1 Samuel 16:1

We have a saying in our house – But I’m already in the dumpster. We use it to describe those times when we’re tempted to remain in an undesirable situation because it’s just easier than changing. The line is from an old movie, which I’ve never even seen. I only know it from the film’s trailer, in which the two main characters hide from the bad guys by jumping in a dumpster. Once the danger has passed, one of the characters observes that it’s safe to get out. The other, high on drugs, delivers the line – But we’re already in the dumpster.

Once again, the implication is that sometimes, it’s simply easier to wallow in the misery of failure, because getting up, starting over, and trying again is just too hard. This is where Samuel found himself in today’s passage. In the story, God rejected Saul as king due to his disobedience. God grieved Saul’s failure, as did Samuel. God though, eventually moved on with his plan to replace Saul with David. Samuel wasn’t there yet. He was still wallowing in his regrets. Mourning Saul’s failed monarchy, Samuel was paralyzed by disappointment and preferred to remain in the dumpster. So, God gave him a push. Get up. Let’s go find a new king. Samuel, objected, knowing how difficult this task would be. Saul will kill me if I try to replace him. Broken by past failures, Samuel preferred to wallow in misery because that was simply easier than getting up, starting over, and trying again.

I’ve been there. Change is hard. Starting over is a lot of work. In the disaster of my addiction, I knew I needed recovery, but honestly, getting sober and putting my career back together was a monumental task. What choice did I have though? Remaining in the dumpster would have meant losing everything – career, family, and home. So, I had to get up and get going.

There are times when we must mourn our past failures. Mistakes should be regretted. When shame becomes its own excuse to wallow in our misery though, paralyzing us from moving forward, then we’ve succumbed to an unhealthy grief. Starting over is a lot of work, but what choice do we have? If we don’t get up and get going, then we simply remain in the dumpster, which is certainly not where we want to spend the rest of our lives.