"What He ordains for us each moment is what is most holy, best, and most divine for us." Jean-Pierre de Caussade

Friday, September 5, 2014

Recycle Day



Today is both trash day and recycle day. In other words, it's when everyone in my town puts their bin out on the road for the trucks to pick up. It's also a day for finding out a whole lot about my neighbors ... and them me. For example, just this morning in less than a 40 minutes span, I learned:

who of my neighbors drink diet Coke versus the real thing; 
who consumes bottled versus tap;
what kind of juice they prefer -- apple or grape:
what type of laundry detergent they use; 
who buys their pizza from the store and who has it delivered; 
how big their babies are due to diaper sizes;
who drinks whole, 2%, skim or soy milk;
who the campers are as well as those who grill;
who has spent a great deal of time this week cleaning their house;
what ice creams are the favorites;
who is more health conscious;
who is not;
what kind of magazines are read;
who eats take-out ... often;
what kind of oatmeal, beer and snacks they enjoy;
even who has been to the Atlanta Apparel Mart recently.

Yes, one can even tell if the contributor is OCD by the way the bin is "organized." 

Recycling is different from the trash. When we recycle, we are changing waste material into something new and useful. Trash, on the other hand, is just that; and it's to be discarded. That's why not everything goes into the recycle bin. Some things are not meant to last. 

The same can be said of our lives. Some things are meant to be done away with completely. Like sinful habits. Other things ... just need to be transformed. Like broken lives. 

I wonder if Jesus were physically present here today if He might liken the Kingdom of heaven to a recycle center. After all, doesn't He receive this refuse of a life and make it into "something new and useful"?

Yes, I think He does. And Recycle Day is a good reminder to be thankful.

Just an ordinary moment...


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