BBD 11.05.03 Going Through Garbage
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 9,000 subscribers in 75 countries)
11.05.03
Going Through Garbage
Today's devotional was written by Walker Moore who is president of AweStar
Ministries in Tulsa, P. O. Box 470265, Tulsa 74147. You may contact Walker
at walker@awestar.org or 800.293.7827. Visit their website at
http://www.awestar.org.
Father, I want those You have given me to be with me where I am, and to see
my glory, the glory You have given me because You loved me before the
creation of the world. - John 17:24.
This is a true story. I was serving at a church many years ago. The church
was growing so fast that they bought five houses. Four were to be used for
Sunday School space and the fifth one was to be torn down for parking. The
house they were going to tear down had a little one-car garage. The problem
was that the previous owners never parked their car in it. They used it as
garbage dump. For 20 years they had thrown their trash and garbage into the
garage. It was one solid block about chest high. Our church had asked the
Fire Marshall if they could burn the garage and garbage, but they said no. I
volunteered to haul away the garbage if I could keep anything I found in it.
So on the day they were tearing down the house I started going through the
garbage. At first it was very repulsive, but as I peeled the layers I
discovered something. Beneath the garbage was a mother lode of antiques.
Because it was protected from the outside elements, everything was in
pristine condition. I found over 100 antique Coke bottles, an antique
pendulum wall clock (to this day it hangs in my living room), old glass milk
bottles, medical tins, old magazines from the 50s, all in mint condition. By
the end of the day I was overwhelmed with the valuables I had found in the
garbage. When I discovered the antiques everybody and their dog wanted to
come and help me, but I started alone and I was going to finish alone. That
day God taught me something that has been useful in helping people. Look
underneath the garbage, there is always something of value.
Her name was Sharon. She was one of the most beautiful girls I ever had in
my youth group, but she was an alcoholic. She had spent years in denial,
running from God. While counseling with her I showed her my diamond ring my
wife gave me. I told her it was worth $700. Then I picked up some dirt and
rubbed it onto my ring. I asked her how much was the ring worth, she
replied, "It's worth $700." Then I spit on the ring and mixed the dirt with
the salvia. I asked her again "how much is it worth now?" She replied again,
"It's worth $700." No matter how much garbage I piled on my ring, the answer
was always the same. The garbage did not change the value of the ring. The
ring just needed cleaning.
I told Sharon that she was the diamond. No matter how much garbage she had
in her life, to God she was still a person of value. When you look at your
children do you see the garbage or do you see, as God sees, the diamond in
the rough? If you don't see anything of value in your children, they will
perceive themselves as garbage.
Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited.
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