Trash Into Treasure
The sun is out, the air is cool, and it's way too early to be up on a Saturday. But that's okay, because there is an excitement in the air. We are going garage-sale shopping.
I had actually never even been "garage-saleing" until last Saturday when a couple of my friends and I got in the car and drove around, looking for signs and following them to places we didn't even know existed in Little Rock.
The thing about garage sales is that you find some pretty ridiculous stuff, and then you feel like you need to buy it. "Look at this ferocious lion statue! I think we need this!" "How about this coffee table? The legs are made of dancing elves." We found old records, fur coats, a typewriter, and all things vintage. My friend bought some cuff links with sail boats on them. "Do you even have a shirt with cuff links?" I asked. "Of course not," he answered, "but these are awesome!"
My grand purchase: a casserole dish. That upcoming evening, Rachael and I were having company over for a lasagna dinner. "What are you going to cook the lasagna in?" Rachael asked me that morning.
"A casserole dish, of course," I replied.
"Uh, well, where are you going to get one?"
I paused for a moment, forgetting that we just moved into an apartment and our cabinets did not come stocked with all the items we are used to having at home. "I guess it's a good thing we are going garage saleing right now!" I concluded.
And so I bought a lovely, well-used, glass casserole dish from a very nice lady for only $5. And we used that lovely casserole dish to serve our guests a delicious oven-baked lasagna.
The best thing about garage sales is that they prove how one man's junk is another man's treasure. What one person sees as cheap junk, another person sees as something of great value, something that they want and even need. Something they can use for the good of others.
The world and modern culture in which we live will try to convince us that we are not worth much and that our value has been lessened. And some people fall for the lies, and they sell their bodies and their hearts for cheap because they have been told that's what they are worth.
But we are not junk. We are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, made in His image, fearfully and wonderfully created by His hands, and chosen to be His royal and holy people. The world puts a price sticker on us, but we are an invaluable prize in the eyes of the Lord - worth so much that He gave His life to buy us back for Himself. We are not trash; we are treasure.
God searches us out, finds us among the rubble, and purchases us with His own blood. He chooses us, polishes us up, and uses us for His glory.
I love my $5 casserole dish, even with its scratches, sticky sticker stain, and wear and tear from the many times it has already been used. To me, its a treasure because it reminds me of myself and how God has bought me - despite all my stains - cleaned me up, loved me, and even used me to bless others and glorify Him. No worldly buyer can put a price tag on me anymore. I belong to the Lord. And I will never sell myself for anything less.
I had actually never even been "garage-saleing" until last Saturday when a couple of my friends and I got in the car and drove around, looking for signs and following them to places we didn't even know existed in Little Rock.
The thing about garage sales is that you find some pretty ridiculous stuff, and then you feel like you need to buy it. "Look at this ferocious lion statue! I think we need this!" "How about this coffee table? The legs are made of dancing elves." We found old records, fur coats, a typewriter, and all things vintage. My friend bought some cuff links with sail boats on them. "Do you even have a shirt with cuff links?" I asked. "Of course not," he answered, "but these are awesome!"
My grand purchase: a casserole dish. That upcoming evening, Rachael and I were having company over for a lasagna dinner. "What are you going to cook the lasagna in?" Rachael asked me that morning.
"A casserole dish, of course," I replied.
"Uh, well, where are you going to get one?"
I paused for a moment, forgetting that we just moved into an apartment and our cabinets did not come stocked with all the items we are used to having at home. "I guess it's a good thing we are going garage saleing right now!" I concluded.
And so I bought a lovely, well-used, glass casserole dish from a very nice lady for only $5. And we used that lovely casserole dish to serve our guests a delicious oven-baked lasagna.
The best thing about garage sales is that they prove how one man's junk is another man's treasure. What one person sees as cheap junk, another person sees as something of great value, something that they want and even need. Something they can use for the good of others.
The world and modern culture in which we live will try to convince us that we are not worth much and that our value has been lessened. And some people fall for the lies, and they sell their bodies and their hearts for cheap because they have been told that's what they are worth.
But we are not junk. We are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, made in His image, fearfully and wonderfully created by His hands, and chosen to be His royal and holy people. The world puts a price sticker on us, but we are an invaluable prize in the eyes of the Lord - worth so much that He gave His life to buy us back for Himself. We are not trash; we are treasure.
God searches us out, finds us among the rubble, and purchases us with His own blood. He chooses us, polishes us up, and uses us for His glory.
I love my $5 casserole dish, even with its scratches, sticky sticker stain, and wear and tear from the many times it has already been used. To me, its a treasure because it reminds me of myself and how God has bought me - despite all my stains - cleaned me up, loved me, and even used me to bless others and glorify Him. No worldly buyer can put a price tag on me anymore. I belong to the Lord. And I will never sell myself for anything less.
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