Waste Not

I have a confession to make. I hate tossing out the last few drops of dishwashing liquid in an empty bottle or the last few scrapes of peanut butter left at the bottom of an empty jar, or rinsing down the drain the last of the cake batter stuck on the bowl or beaters after the cake is in the oven.

It's not that finances are so tight that those little bits make a difference in whether our family goes bankrupt or not. It's that those things were made for a specific purpose. There's a reason they exist and throwing away those last little bits means that they aren't allowed to fulfill the purpose for which they were made. Yes, I kind of feel sorry for the dishwashing liquid.

We were designed and created on purpose: to glorify God and enjoy him forever. If we allow sin to draw our eyes off God or if anything becomes more important to us than Christ, we aren't fulfilling the purpose for which we were created and saved.

I'm seeing this also regarding the various roles God has called me to and placed me in. If I don't care for my children in a way that honors the Lord, I'm not fulfilling my purpose as a mother. If I don't respect, honor, walk alongside, and encourage Drew, I'm not fulfilling my purpose as his wife. If I don't reach out to our neighbors with the gospel, or press a discouraged friend into Christ, then my purpose (the reason God has placed me in those contexts and relationships) is being thwarted.

But … if I fulfill my purpose in those situations, yet do it grudgingly, without joy, that's also wasteful. Part of our purpose as Christians is joy - specifically enjoying Christ and his riches and grace. What a precious gift and reflection of God's character that joy is part of our purpose!

SDG!