Precious from Worthless

The #9 post on our all-time most viewed list was written by Linda when we moved from Ottawa to Cambridge.

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Moving has a way of sorting things out.  It’s a fresh start.  A fresh chance to choose. This was never clearer than when we recently faced the boxes in our basement.  Many had not been opened since leaving California.   They’d been “in storage” – in “deep storage.”

Our new beautiful bungalow is smaller, all storage is under one stairwell.   One.  So we needed to choose simplicity or a different house!    We packed up three, four, five carloads of stuff for the “Bibles for Missions” thrift store.   Then four vans full of what we once had treasured were taken from our home.

With the choice of what to keep at times overwhelming, this verse came to mind:  “If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will be my spokesman” (Jeremiah 15:19).With each item we asked:  “Is this precious?”  “Is this really useful?  “Will this be priceless someday — even to my children’s children?”

While we could have just tossed out the boxes never opened, we’d now be missing letters written as young lovers, Rick’s grandfather’s pocket watch, and our children’s baby shoes and favourite books (for their children).   Syllabi from college and seminary courses–perhaps now precious as never before, reappeared as we opened those boxes.

The Bible reveals that life, in all its forms, is precious. (Psalm 35:17).  The death of the godly is also precious (Psalm 116:15).   The promises of God are to be precious to us (2 Peter 1:4).   A gentle and quiet spirit is precious to God (1 Peter 3:4) Stones found in jewellery, crowns, vests and heaven’s foundation are precious (Rev. 21:19).   We are then to come “to Him (Jesus) as a living stone, choice and precious in the sight of God.”  (I Peter 2:4)This lesson from life has provoked thought:  Am I choosing each day to focus on what is truly precious in life?   Does this shape the use of all of my resources – not only my closets but my daytimer, and even what I store in my memory?

God told Jeremiah that if he would extract the precious from the worthless he would be his spokesman.   We would do well to do the same (John 15:2)

 “Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we’ll serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15).