Wed., Mar. 16/22
These are all the dishes and utensils I needed while my wife was recently away for eleven days. I ate out a few times, made wraps and bagel sandwiches, ate bananas, dates, nuts, carrots, muffins, dates squares, boiled eggs and chunks of cheese. When a utensil or my one plate was used I just washed the item off, ready to use again.
I wasn’t intentionally trying to be minimalistic. Rather, at about five days in, I just happened to notice I wasn’t running the dishwasher or filling the sink like I used to… in fact, not at all. The experience emphasized to me afresh that what I need is all that I need. Enough is indeed enough. More than enough is too much. Too much is just wasteful.
Have you ever noticed: Nature (God’s creation) wastes nothing! Noted scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki states: “In nature there is no such thing as waste. In nature nothing is wasted; everything is recycled.” God has built into His creation Decomposers, Scavengers, Detritivores, Bio-degradation and remediation.
Decomposers are organisms that transform the bodies of both plants and animals back into their basic constituents. They are mostly Bacteria and Fungi. Scavengers are organisms that consume remains of other dead organisms or their waste products. Scavengers open up dead bodies preparing them for further decomposition. Detritus Feeders, or Detritivores are smaller organisms that feed on detritus or decomposing organic material, primarily vegetation, and prepare it for final disassembly by bacteria and fungi.
We see a reflection of this care in the Old Testament commands on harvesting:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 19:9-10. Repeated in Lev. 23:22).
Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:2,8,23) leading eventually to Boaz taking her as his wife. It was from this union that Ruth gave birth to Obed who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David through whose line was born the Christ, the Savior of the world! (Ruth 4:21-22).
We see this heart also in Christ Jesus who, following the feedings of the multitudes, commanded “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:12, NIV). We should see this attitude in every believer as well. Paul urged, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Tim. 6:8).
Let us as His representatives ask not “How much can I get?” but “How little do I really need?”
Press on…
Pressing on... 