by J. Randal Matheny

In my email program, I have two kinds of folders. The first are the automatic ones, like Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Trash, and Junk Mail. These stay at the top of the list. The second set I created, for people, lists subscriptions, and ezines.

In that second set is a folder called aaineedthis, for emails important to me. Perhaps a special message dear to my heart. Or something I want to read with some frequency. Hence, the "ineedthis" part (I need this). I added the two "aa's" at the beginning to place this folder at the top of the alphabetical listing.

When I named that folder, a funny thing happened.

The last automatic folder is Junk Mail, where my spam filter throws dubious messages. The first created folder is aaaineedthis. So the two folders, Junk Mail and aaineedthis, are neighbors, one right below the other.

The content of each is drastically different.

Life is like my folders.

The junk and the treasures often lie side by side. Trash is often thrown beneath -- or on top of -- the treasure. Next door to the church building may operate the strip joint or the alcoholic's bar. On the bookshelf a commentary faithful to the text may stand next to a work marred by skepticism and faulty scholarship.

The catch is knowing the difference. Because in real life, the junk may be named treasure and the worthy may be called trash. (This is not a new problem, says Isaiah 5:20-21.)

So Scripture tells us to watch out, to discern between what's good and what's bad.

"... test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, NRSV).

"... weigh what is said" (1 Corinthians 14:29).

"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth" (Proverbs 17:24, NIV).

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

Let's make sure our junk file doesn't hold something precious. And that our "aaineedthis" file, or whatever you may name it, doesn't harbor trash.

For our freedom depends on it.