There is a running joke in my family
and close friends concerning dump picking. Whenever someone asks me
“where did you get that?” Inevitably, it will be followed with
“no wait let me guess, the dump?” The transfer station for my
town is wonderful, they have a “swap shop” where people bring
used clothing, dishes, books, computer supplies, sports
equipment...etc. Items that are no longer of use to them. A couple
of week's ago I stumbled upon a LL Bean down vest in perfect
condition, my coffee press is from there, as is a queen size air
mattress that holds air better than any other I have paid full price
for. Absolutely amazing, one man's trash is another man's treasure!
Back before recycling centers and swap
shops, my father was a notorious “dump picker.” If something
happened to catch his eye, he might actually dig for it. I can almost
hear my mother's voice, as he returned home, saying “Donald, what
did you pick up now?” The Internet is filled with pictures
and articles about making trash into functional, useful products.
Yet the whole idea of dump picking is
nothing new. Using what most consider trash and worthless for a new
purpose is an idea older than the Bible. GOD had Nehemiah use the
burnt, worthless stones to rebuild the walls of the temple.
Nehemiah's opposition scoffed at him saying: “...Do they
actually think think they can make something of stones from a rubbish
heap- and charred ones at that?” (Nehemiah 4:2B,
NLT) Prostitutes, adulterers, liars, cheats, people with physical
disabilities and mental disorders, are all part of the foundation of
the Christian church.
More and more people talk about how
their lives are “in the dumper” or someone's life is “trashed.”
Economic ruin, marital unrest, problems with children, isolation,
depression, anxiety, substance abuse...etc. You name it, it happens
regardless of the depth of one's personal faith, regardless of church
affiliation or upbringing. Oh we all gasp in surprise when we learn
of a fellow believer stumbling, some may even wag their heads and
cluck their tongues, but life does not get easier the older you get.
Many resign themselves to living as a piece of trash, believing they
are worthless or so fallen from grace they can never be used again.
I'm going to step out on a limb here and say even those people who
have a “positive, optimistic” outlook on redemption and grace
struggle with feeling like a piece of worthless trash when they've
fallen short or hit a hard pothole in life.
But Jesus is the original dump picker,
the original dumpster diver. Psalm 139: 7-8 (NASB) “Where
can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If
I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold,
You are there.”
I
really like what Calvin wrote in his commentaries about this Psalm
“....God
is not confined to heaven, indulging in a state of repose, and
indifferent to human concerns, ….. and that however far off we may
be from him, he is never far off from us.”
(http://biblehub.com/commentaries/calvin/psalms/139.htm)
If
I were to summarize this I would simply say, no matter how stale,
moldy, stinky, or covered in “gunk” you are, you are not beyond
the reach of the ultimate dump picker. Many years ago I wrote a song
called “Don't give up on me,” which speaks to the idea of God
making us into HIS image. I want to end this post with the last
verse; a promise from me to anyone who finds themselves in the
dumpster of life.
“... I won't give up on you, until He's through working on your heart. For
now we see with human eyes, when will we realize He sees us as we
will be.” (The Truth, Simple Truth 1997)
