Praise God for Spilled Trash!

We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

 -- Romans 8:28 (Common English Bible, 2012)

Just a few days ago, I was running right on schedule in the middle of a busy day.  I had just enough time to stop by the house, eat lunch, and collect the trash before heading out the door for a visit. (I really shouldn't have needed to get the trash, but we missed the regular morning pickup.)  As I was emptying the trash in my bathroom, the unthinkable happened.  I dumped the last half of the trash all over the floor!

I don't know about you, but few things frustrate me more than something that takes more time than it should.  This was the last can before I could head out the door, and now I had a mess on the floor.  I was going to have to pick it up, get cleaning supplies, and mop.  "I just don't have time for this," I kept thinking to myself.  

Once scoop at a time, I put the garbage into the large trash bag, making sure I didn't spill any more.  When I was almost through, I noticed, just out of the corner of my eye, something shiny on the floor.  I stopped and looked -- and my jaw fell open wide.  There on the bathroom floor in the middle of the trash was my tie pin. I had been missing this pin for about 3 weeks.  I wear it to church every Sunday because it is one of the few things that I have that belonged to my grandfather. 

Then it dawned on me: if I hadn't spilled the trash on the floor, I never would have found the tie pin.  It would have disappeared into a landfill along with many other countless, lost possessions.  What was a frustration at first, now made me smile.  I thought I was experiencing a mess; instead, I was surrounded by grace.

If nothing else, this little episode reminds me that God is the first and best recycler.  Our difficulties, our hurt, our sorrow, our challenges can all be taken and turned so that they are used for good.  God loves us, and wants what is best for us.  If we will trust and listen, especially when things do not go our way, we might just see God's grace transforming misfortunes into miracles. I will try to bear that in mind as I watch the election results come in tomorrow.

I just hope that I can learn to always praise God for spilled trash.

Grace and Peace,