Let Nothing Be Wasted

I may actually be the biggest sap in the whole world. If I see someone crying across the room, I tear up; I don’t even have to know them, or why they’re upset. If you ever need someone to cry with you, I am your woman.

My tears are on constant standby.

In general, I’m not terribly emotional, but I’ve always been a crier. My tears must be really close to the surface of my eyes or something. This, occasionally, has caused me great frustration and angst. There have been many times that I did not want to cry, but of course, I did, and in the process I messed up my make-up or somehow embarrassed myself.

Thankfully, over the years I have learned to embrace my gift of tears. Yes, gift.

I have taken to heart Romans 12:15; “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

There are times when mourning is needed and so I will cry with those who mourn or who experience sorrow, or even joy. I will accept my teary eyes as a gift, and ask God to use it for His glory.

I have always loved the phrase, “nothing is wasted” as it refers to God’s ability to use even the things in our lives that we would rather have lived without. The unwanted things. The broken and ugly things. Those experiences in our lives that are difficult, or even tragic. The thought that God can use my past sorrows to allow me to empathize with another human being during their times of trouble, loss, fear or devastation, fills my heart with hope and gladness–and yes, my eyes with tears.

This is gift to be treasured and embraced.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)

I am a person who does not waste much.

I love to reuse, recycle, and repurpose, so the thought of using our unwanted attributes and troubles in our life, past and present, as an opportunity to extend comfort to others in the same or similar situations, resonates deeply with me.

“Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” – John 6:12 (NIV)

I love that Jesus said this to His disciples once the five thousand were fed.

Don’t get me wrong, this will take effort. It may cause us to remember and even reopen pains from our past. But when I think of all the ways God has extended comfort to me through members of His body over the course of my life, I am compelled to offer the same to another–if for no other reason than to know that my pain and troubling circumstances are not wasted.

I will not let nothing be wasted.

Copyright © Rebecca Onkar, Moms of Faith®, All Rights Reserved