June 12
When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” John 6:12
When we were newly married, leftovers from dinner made a journey from the refrigerator where they were placed, into the trash a few days later. My mother was horrified! At the very least, scraps went to their dog! At a time when she and my dad were struggling economically and she could make an appetizing meal out of anything, how could I be so wasteful? My excuse, a feeble one at best, was that I just didn’t know what to do with them. She shared her ideas and recipes, but they landed on a much closed mind. With both my husband and I working and able to purchase what we needed, as well as often enjoying dinner out if we pleased, I was not motivated enough and I just didn’t get it. I truly had not learned gratitude for the fullness I had, actually. As time went on and our family and it’s needs grew and the struggle to meet those demands became an ever present challenge, I appreciated more and more my mother’s sentiments. The ability to make another meal out of our leftovers became something I took pride in, had fun creating new recipes with them and I still do. Even more so today, now that I am older and wiser, Jesus’ words to not be wasteful have a more profound meaning to all areas of life. Our commodities are not to be taken for granted.
In this passage Jesus tells us what is necessary for us to do, so that we will not be without. He instructs us to gather what is left over and let nothing be wasted. But in His goodness, He first sees that we have had enough, that our needs are met! How good God is! In one way or another, what God gives us is always more than enough, so we are able to share with others. Isn’t it amazing when we stop to think about what can be made of all those left over pieces of anything in our lives? Think about all the scraps of things we often view as unimportant, especially fragments of time! Just as leftover food can be created into something unexpected, those bits of time also can be! Moments available to do something meaningful for another or simply a few extra minutes to listen with patience to someone; and moments of time to take for ourselves as well - to pray, meditate on Scripture, tackle a piece of a project, learn something new or even to relax! Look around you today with a keener sense of what is the “left over” in your life and pray about what you can do with it. How many beautiful quilts or afghans have been created with scraps of material or yarn? With God’s help you will make the most of the pieces you gather and create something extraordinary with it.
Father, show us the leftovers in our lives and help us to do what needs to be done with them.
I’d love to hear what others to with “leftovers” of anything! Would you share yours with me?
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” John 6:12
When we were newly married, leftovers from dinner made a journey from the refrigerator where they were placed, into the trash a few days later. My mother was horrified! At the very least, scraps went to their dog! At a time when she and my dad were struggling economically and she could make an appetizing meal out of anything, how could I be so wasteful? My excuse, a feeble one at best, was that I just didn’t know what to do with them. She shared her ideas and recipes, but they landed on a much closed mind. With both my husband and I working and able to purchase what we needed, as well as often enjoying dinner out if we pleased, I was not motivated enough and I just didn’t get it. I truly had not learned gratitude for the fullness I had, actually. As time went on and our family and it’s needs grew and the struggle to meet those demands became an ever present challenge, I appreciated more and more my mother’s sentiments. The ability to make another meal out of our leftovers became something I took pride in, had fun creating new recipes with them and I still do. Even more so today, now that I am older and wiser, Jesus’ words to not be wasteful have a more profound meaning to all areas of life. Our commodities are not to be taken for granted.
In this passage Jesus tells us what is necessary for us to do, so that we will not be without. He instructs us to gather what is left over and let nothing be wasted. But in His goodness, He first sees that we have had enough, that our needs are met! How good God is! In one way or another, what God gives us is always more than enough, so we are able to share with others. Isn’t it amazing when we stop to think about what can be made of all those left over pieces of anything in our lives? Think about all the scraps of things we often view as unimportant, especially fragments of time! Just as leftover food can be created into something unexpected, those bits of time also can be! Moments available to do something meaningful for another or simply a few extra minutes to listen with patience to someone; and moments of time to take for ourselves as well - to pray, meditate on Scripture, tackle a piece of a project, learn something new or even to relax! Look around you today with a keener sense of what is the “left over” in your life and pray about what you can do with it. How many beautiful quilts or afghans have been created with scraps of material or yarn? With God’s help you will make the most of the pieces you gather and create something extraordinary with it.
Father, show us the leftovers in our lives and help us to do what needs to be done with them.
I’d love to hear what others to with “leftovers” of anything! Would you share yours with me?
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson