One Man's Trash

            There is a saying that says, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I, personally, find this to be applicable to my life. Most days, for class preparation, I can be found looking through the workshop garbage pit. Believe it or not, you really can find some treasures there! I prefer to think that the stuff I use from the dump is hidden treasure: so hidden that most people throw it away without even knowing what they have. Have you ever thought that maybe some people view certain humans in light of this saying?

I recently joined a group from MOVE that goes to visit a ranch in the village every Tuesday evening. At the ranch, the different families come out to have worship and learn more about the Bible. Most of them cannot read, none have much money, the majority of the kids do not have properly fitting clothes, but they do have something else: a desire to know Jesus. A few Sabbaths ago, we had an evening worship at the ranch with this family. With the families from the ranch and the few church members that came from the local churches, we had a total of 32 kids and 25 adults! The adults did a Bible study while the kids enjoyed a plethora of activities. We sang, played games, listened to stories, and did crafts together. The craft was one of those “one man’s trash another man’s treasure” deals. We took an oat canister, cut it in half, and glued paper on it. (One little girl loved it so much that, the following Tuesday, when I was at the ranch, she told me, with much pride, about her precious treasure.)  It was a great blessing to see so many people praising God’s name at the close of a wonderful Sabbath.

To be 100% honest, I sometimes feel like I fall into the category of “one man’s trash.” This is the result of sin in my life. Satan likes to pester those who have fallen into sin by tricking them into believing that the Savior has no interest in them because of the transgression. He uses the guilt factor to convince us that we are not worth anything and it would be better to give up to defeat and fall into his ranks. Unfortunately, many people fall into this trap and never come out of it. They believe that they cannot return to church because of a wrongdoing. They fear the shame of being found out as a sinner by a brother in the congregation. However, this is exactly the work that Jesus came to the earth to do: dig through this big trash pit of an earth to find His treasures. He only creates treasures. Sometimes those treasures get stains and a little damage, but that never means they become trash. “As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do not give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save.” (Finding Peace Within 28) Never give up!