Hello ,
There is was, gleaming white, and poking out of a discarded box in the dumpster. I couldn't believe my eyes!
A few years ago, my family attended a graduation at a school that shall remain nameless. After the festivities, and after everyone had gone home, I took a stroll out by the dumpsters that were parked in the back of the dormitories. With the flurry of activity that often surrounds graduations, people sometimes throw things away that they no longer want or need. That doesn't mean that the items that they toss are
junk however.
This day was no exception. There, in a discarded box that was sticking out the dumpster, lay a gleaming white Sony (TM) laptop computer. I did a double-take. Could someone have really wanted to discard a laptop computer? I thought to myself, "This thing must be broken."
I removed it from the dumpster, (along with it's plug...yes, they were kind enough to throw the adapter out with the device.) I located an electrical wall outlet, plugged in the laptop, and pushed the power button. The screen glowed with the usual computer salutations as it came to life.
My wife used this handy little computer for a time, and I have wondered since, "What would cause someone to throw something valuable like this away?" I've heard it said over and over again that, "One man's junk is another man's treasure," but this electronic device was NOT junk! It was a functioning computer that must have cost hundreds of dollars when it was purchased.
The things that people throw away!
This encounter last year reminded me of something else that people often carelessly toss on the "trash-heap" of their lives without so much as a glance over their shoulders...the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ for eternity.
I'm not "Mr. Perfect," but I would think that Someone Who claims all the things that Jesus does would give people pause to at least consider what He's offering.
Is it possible that the reason people aren't looking at Jesus as a real "find" is because those who already claim to know Him aren't showing Christ in His best light?
I'm not sure why that question always seems to plague me, but I'm somewhat pre-occupied in many circumstances, at whether or not people are seeing Jesus when they have an encounter with me.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
