Catalyst Question
What’s your least favorite chore to do in your home? Why is that?
“In God’s Economy…
…nothing is wasted.” This quote was popularized in the 1990s by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an organization that supports people living with addiction to alcohol. Within that context, it addressed how even the most dire of circumstances can become a cocoon for growth. Such succinctly stated wisdom soon became contagious and spread far beyond AA. It also resonates with many stories from scripture.
Consider Luke 5:1-11. In that story, Jesus meets a few fishers at a lakeshore. They’ve had what felt like a wasted day. Lots of casting out nets and nothing to show for it, not even a handful of minnows. Yet, Jesus–who was a carpenter, not a fishermen–tells them to try one more time. That certainly seemed like a futile task; they’d been fishing this spot for hours, after all! Yet, with Jesus by their side, what seemed like a wasted day became a trophy-worthy trip to sea. Because Jesus turned their waste into abundance, people could eat their fill. In God’s company, what once seemed useless can become miraculous.
Even poop.
Of course, God’s creation shows us that what is waste to some is fertilizer to others. Anyone who grew up in the country knows the distinct smell of freshly spread livestock manure on nearby fields. Fewer probably think about the fact that bugs also poo. Fortunately, someone did. Eventually, that revelation led people like Shankar Ganapathi Shanmugam, a professor Mississippi State University, to research how bugs could be used not only to create new fertilizers, but also eat organic garbage in the process. It’s a pretty simple idea. Certain insects it food scraps. After digestion and a quick visit to the fly-sized toilet, what’s left is a new kind of plant food. This process means that what once was waste becomes quite useful.
These are certainly three very different scenarios. Yet, each also highlights something essential about God: abundant life can come from the most unexpected places. Those things that seem like futility, or failure, or simple waste to us? In God’s hands, they can become agents of abundant life.
Ask Yourself
What is one area of your life where you want to invite God to take something that feels wasted and turn it into something wonderful? Take time to pray for God’s presence and wisdom in that place.
Ask a Friend
As Christ followers, how can we work together to be creative like Professor Shanmugam to transform the world’s waste into useful tools for our neighbors?
