Many years ago, my wife took over the responsibility of checking the business Post Office Box of her employer, a small accounting firm who'd recently relocated their operation to south Mississippi. The firm was a small husband / wife operation, but in needing to move south, they still had a client base here that demanded servicing. Therefore, Angie was happy to help; hence, she stayed onboard.
Most nights after work, I would stop by the Post Office to check the aforementioned box, and for weeks and weeks on end, each time I'd open it up, it would be jam packed with catalogs from every conceivable retailer you could imagine.
There were toy catalogs, lingerie, men and women's clothing, hardware, furniture, home accessories, and on and on. I remember too there were catalogs that fell into the offbeat category such as fairy themed statuary, Irish pub themed interior decor, etc. It was amazing to behold how much junk mail was being delivered to this one P.O. Box each and every day in Brandon, Mississippi.
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During my last year of college, I was dealing with so much up in my head that I had no idea what to truly make of it. Circumstantially, I was in deep with my girlfriend (now wife), and soon to be (hopefully) employed at my first job within the architectural field. I decided it was time for me to seek help. Too much was at stake for me to continue forward on my own. I'd spent years and years attempting to analyze and ultimately understand my thought life, but it was a 2-month backpacking trip during the summer of '94 that finally brought me to a place where I knew I didn't want to go at this alone any more.
Eventually, I confided in my 'rents as to my state of mind, and from there, they were kind enough to assist me in obtaining quality counsel, and it was through that relationship with that (now deceased) clinical psychologist that light began to be shed on my situation. He and I sorted through and unpacked an awful lot over 3 or 4 months. Plus, he provided numerous cautionary words that no one else with that same insight had ever shared with me. It was a wonderfully helpful experience!
For Rob, sinful behavior was nurtured by and within this state of mental confusion. I never used it as an excuse, but despite my ownership in what I was taking part in, I knew I was much more susceptible to temptation whilst being within a state of confusion.
Considering that truth from my past and subsequently applying it today, I've had men also advise me to stave off access to sin-laden opportunities. And I believe this is sound advice. Pragmatics certainly can play into protecting ourselves as Christians, but what's really wonderfully helpful at times is having someone more experienced come alongside you to assist in unpacking mental deliverables that inevitably keep showing up unannounced. Deliverables which seem to promulgate out of some unforeseen or unclear point of origin.
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Eventually, I took action against the Post Office Box, I deciding to stave off the unnecessary waste as well as the huge distraction it was to Rob. I have to admit that I simply couldn't resist the pull to leaf through all this unsolicited junk mail day after day.
Therefore, I systematically began calling the retailers one by one. I did this at home with my daily stack of catalogs in hand, asking for this particular P.O. Box to be removed from their mailing list. It was a long, tedious process, but it was worth it, and after 2 or 3 months, I'd taken care of every one despite the fact that I had to call certain companies repeatedly.
My attitude here regarding this was one of novel steadfastness. In other words, I tried to see the opportunity in relegating this work to myself as more than just a drudgery. Instead, it was an attempt to be consistent relative to a condition that I'd found myself within via no surrogacy of my own.
I suppose you might liken this situation to renting an apartment that was haunted, or perhaps purchasing a used car that seemingly drives itself away unannounced after you'd parked it in front of your apartment rental. Annoying and very weird, but such is life sometimes.
I can personally attest that the mind is complex and sometimes needs "higher oversight", requiring its owner to reach out for help. Also, unpacking takes work and lots of dedicated time that's realistically impossible to do alone. Therefore, don't hesitate to reach out for help. Take action against a state of mind that's negatively intrusive in its ways. Hijacking is no doubt a real experience, but no doubt one that should be settled for.
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