As I strolled down the side road in Greystones, I started to notice a recurring theme.  The Irish folk, it would appear, also suffer the inundation of ads and pamphlets coming through their mail service.  “No Junk Mail” was posted on the mail slots at many houses along my route.  We all are discerning enough that we want to avoid the unrequested and unhelpful paperwork coming into our mailbox.  How many of us, though, are as discerning about what enters our eyes and ears?

Junk mail can be described as something unhelpful and unwanted, which distracts you from what is important.  In our lives, the “junk mail” might just be something we desire or some temptation placed in our way.  What is most confounding in the Christian walk, is that something which may be good in one context can actually be the very thing that distracts us from God at other times.  Perhaps it is a good, clean movie, but it raises in our minds unhealthy desires.  Perhaps it is something we like to eat, but we choose to have twelve helpings.  Perhaps it is a musician we like, but their new music has been “spiced up” with some vulgarities.  Or perhaps it is a friend whom we long to love and care for, but their lives and actions always take us down an unhealthy path.

Our “junk mail” can come from many sources, so we must always be on the lookout.  We must be our own watchman, or build around ourselves a group of faithful friends to be our watchmen.  Folks who, like Ezekiel, will warm you of the troubles in your path, the junk mail as it were.

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” – ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So find your watchmen, set up your boundaries, and if necessary, post signs to make sure you receive “no junk mail.”