Let Nothing Be Wasted

T

he main hallway of West Lincoln High School hadn’t changed much in the 9 years I had been teaching there.  Every day kids would pass through on their way to classes, or on their way to the gym, or, if it were during fourth period, they would be on their way to the cafeteria for lunch.  I would walk down the hallway if I needed to go to the office to file a report, pick up a package, or see the ladies who ran the office and kept all of us on the straight and narrow.

But one afternoon, in the spring of 1995, the hallway at West Lincoln High School was suddenly different.  It was during my planning period and I was on my way back to my classroom after a quick visit to the lounge for a much-needed cup of coffee.  As I turned to make my way up the ramp connecting the upper hall to the main foyer, my world changed. It was there that I felt the call to enter the ministry.

In the weeks that followed, the feeling and the call grew stronger. Finally, I went to see my principal who told me that this was something I needed to pursue earnestly and sincerely.  So, I began looking at seminaries and learning all I could about answering God’s call on my life.

I made arrangements to visit a seminary a few hours from home.  What I had not yet done was to tell my parents I was going to seminary.  I mean how do you, at the age of 33, tell your mom and dad you’re leaving your job, you have no idea where you are going, and you have absolutely no idea how you are going to meet your financial obligations?

I just remember asking my mom one question.  I asked her, “Mom, please tell me that my life to this point has not been wasted!” She assured me it had not but I wasn’t totally convinced until I re-read the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

John records what I believe to be the most important statement about this miracle.  After the people have sat down, after the little boy has shared his lunch of five loaves and two fishes, and after all the people have eaten their fill, Jesus tells his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:12).

Those last four words from Jesus jumped right off the page!  God is not in the business of wasting anything. No trial, no hardship, no difficulty, nothing is ever wasted in God’s plan.  Everything he does, every plan he makes, every situation he causes to come into our lives is not wasted.  All of it works for our good, just as Paul wrote in Romans 8:28.

Wherever you are today in your walk with the Lord, please know that everything you have gone through in the past, every single trial, hardship, or blessing has had its purpose and has made you the person and the Christian you are now.  God has been working on you, molding you and shaping you into the person he wants you to be and all the preparation has been for the work he has for you to do. No matter where you are or what you are facing you can be sure that nothing will be wasted!