When it comes to food, do you like leftovers? For me, it depends on what it is. Some things are just not so great leftover. We toss our food away and move on to the next meal.
We also have leftovers in our lives from previous experiences and seasons. Some moments we would rather forget and move on. Some moments we carry with us the rest of our lives. I had a conversation recently with a friend and we were talking about the not so great seasons in our lives. I shared with my friend that I have been doing a lot of self-reflection with the Lord. I’ve been praying Psalm 139:23-24 and asking the Lord to search my heart. Be ready if you pray that prayer because it is hard and holy work, but necessary for us to grow in our relationship with God and others.
There is a story in the Gospels about Jesus feeding the 5000 and the 4000. The feeding of the 5000 takes place in the area of Bethsaida and was primarily Jews. There were five loaves and two fish with twelve baskets of leftovers collected. The feeding of the 4000 takes place in the region of the Decapolis and was primarily Gentiles. There were seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. There were seven baskets of leftovers. The numbers are symbolic and so interesting, but I am just focusing on leftovers.
John 6:12 (NLT) “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”
Nothing in our lives is wasted. We gather up the “leftovers” from our lives; those experiences, good and bad and God uses them to teach us about who He is and how much He cares about us. He uses them as we share with others and encourage them along their journeys. Our stories of love, loss, illness, or you name it are never wasted in the kingdom of God. God uses them in so many ways to bring love and hope to someone else; to bring comfort and peace; to bring joy and laughter; to bring the kingdom of heaven down to the ground.
I have times in my life that I would just rather forget; seasons of loss and heartbreak; the unexpected and the some I still can’t believe happened. But God, met me using them all to teach me and deepen His life in me. His kindness has led me to repentance and without those experiences I would have missed the lessons, words in the wilderness, and the joy of His presence through it all. Nothing is wasted.
What “leftovers” from your life do you need to bring to God? What have you been trying to deal with on your own? Share them with the Lord and watch what He can do. Nothing is wasted.