Waste Not...
Dan Kunz
My grandmother was the Queen of Aphorisms, those wise and witty sayings that have been around for decades, sometimes hundreds of years. The reason they’ve been around for so long is that there’s usually more than a little truth to them. I’m not sure if those under the age of thirty still know, appreciate, or use them very much, but if not, they’re missing out on some wisdom from the ages. I try to share them with my grandkids for that very reason.
One “old saying” that I remember often is, “Waste not, want not.” I absolutely hate to throw out food because it didn’t get eaten quickly enough, especially sweet rolls, donuts, etc.. (I’ll sometimes eat those, even though they’re more than a little hard, stiff, or stale!) Of course, the saying applies to more than just food. Some day you might need that twist tie from the package you just opened, so you’d better stick it in a drawer. If your bedsheet is getting a little worn or faded, you might be able to use it to cover your outdoor plants if a frost is expected. My dad used to save some of the old motor oil from his car because he might be able to use it to lubricate a piece of equipment. The list of items we could save and re-purpose is endless, of course. My grandma used to blame it on our German heritage. Maybe, but I see plenty of people from different heritages doing the same.
The idea of being good stewards of God’s gifts is important. After all, he gave them to us to use, not to waste. Being frugal with our money, not buying more food than we could possibly use in a given amount of time, and recycling or re-purposing the goods in our homes, are all ways of honoring God for the incredible myriad of blessings he pours out for us on a daily basis. Tangible goods are not the only thing we can waste, either.
Time is a limited “commodity” each of us have. The ironic aspect of time is that we don’t know how much of it we have, and yet we tend to waste it in all sorts of ways. Of course, the younger you are, the more time you think you have for many pursuits. It’s usually not until a person acquires some “water under the bridge” that he realizes that time is, indeed, limited. Yet even though that’s usually the case, even older folks can waste time pursuing activities which really aren’t all that important.
Relationships can sometimes be wasted. Whether it be friends or relatives, people can be taken for granted. Not only our time with them, but our relationship with them may not always be there. People move away. People die. People grow distant. People unintentionally hurt each other’s feelings and their relationship suffers.
At this time of year, it’s important to realize that opportunities can also be wasted. We are preparing to celebrate one of the greatest events in the history of the world. We have the opportunity to not only wish others (sometimes complete strangers) a “Merry Christmas”, but also to share the reason to be merry! Maybe you’ll have the opportunity to share with a relative over the holidays. Maybe you’ll have the opportunity to share with a friend you haven’t seen for a long time. Maybe you’ll have the opportunity to share with the salesperson or the person behind you in line at the store. It doesn’t have to be a doctrinal dissertation, either. It could be as simple as saying, “It’s all about Jesus!” or “God gave us the best gift of all!” If you don’t waste the opportunity, you’ll never want a “do-over!” James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.