Treasures from Trash

When I was a child, my parents would load up their four kids into the family station wagon on the evening before trash pick-up days to search for treasures in the trash. Back then, it was customary for people to discard to the curb a wide variety of broken or unwanted items with the rest of the garbage. We would find all kinds of things, including toys, bicycles, wagons, and household furnishings. Some of the items were severely damaged, while others were not, but they all had one thing in common. They were all discarded and no longer wanted.

At first, it was difficult for me to understand why my parents searched through other people’s trash. I was embarrassed and sometimes fearful. Eventually, I came to understand the value of what they were doing. For example, one night, my father found a bicycle that looked horrible. It was rusted, with a torn seat, and missing several parts. We took it home with all the other things we found that night. About a week later, I saw what looked like a brand-new bicycle in our backyard, ready to be taken to sell at the outdoor swap meet. Yes, it was the same bike, which my parents fully restored. The kid who got that bike might never know that their treasure was another person’s trash.

Through this experience, my parents taught me a process that correlates with servant-leader discipleship. My parents taught me how to search and rescue what others may consider the trash, regardless of how embarrassed or fearful you might feel in the process. They modeled the effort required to transform something that has been used or damaged back to its original condition. By doing so, it can fulfill its purpose once again. People are much more valuable than things, and many have been discarded and no longer wanted. Jesus came to seek and save them, and He wants each of us to join Him on His mission. We should discover them, develop them, and deploy them to fulfill their purpose.