Many of you probably celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. Some may have gone all out baking homemade bread and baked goods, along with several delectable sides to accompany a turkey. I saw some tablescapes on Instagram with beautiful china, tall-stemmed glasses, and fresh autumn flowers. We usually use the best-of-the-best for holiday dinners; it makes them more special and meaningful somehow.
We savor it. We eat a second plate. We eat too much.
Regardless of all of the time and effort, we put into Thanksgiving dinner, all of that food that took days to prepare ends up in Tupperware containers. These leftovers await their true calling—the calling of filling bellies the day-after-Thanksgiving.
Yes, the day-after goodies are coveted, however, I don’t know a single person who is going to put their leftovers on heirloom china. Most people, like me, put them on everyday dinnerware or a paper plate and heat them in the microwave.
Leftovers—everyone loves them, but no one in the world wants to feel left over.
We want to be taken care of, invested in, and celebrated. We want the best.
Or, sometimes we feel like all we have to offer God are our leftovers. Am I enough? Is what I have to offer enough?
After Jesus miraculously fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes, He told his disciples in John 6:12,
“Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted, NIV.
Jesus said in so many words, “Leftovers should never be wasted.”
If the world has made you feel leftover or less than worthy, know that Jesus doesn’t view you that way. If you feel like all you have to offer is the leftovers from past victories and miracles, that’s enough—Jesus doesn’t want you to waste your leftovers; the pieces of your life you wish to discard. He wants you to gather them up as a reminder that in His hands nothing, absolutely nothing is ever wasted.
Sometimes, remnants of the past are just what we need to believe for another miracle in the future.
With Jesus, you are more than enough.
Comments are closed.