They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalm 145:7
In our home, a recycle bin sits on the landing of the stairs leading to the basement. When there's something to be recycled, I place it at the top of the steps, take aim, kick the item down the steps, and nine times out of ten, it bounces off of the wall and completely misses the bin on the landing. My kids are well trained in dodging the debris littered all over the steps as they go up and down them. (Unfortunately, they're not well trained to actually pick up the items and place them in the bin for me. That's a challenge for another day.) When my hands aren't full of grocery bags, backpacks, and sippy cups, I do my best to clean up the mess as I go to and from the garage.
A few weekends ago, my husband had to travel to Pennsylvania. On my own, with karate and back-to-back birthday parties, I never made it to the dump with all of our trash and recyclables. The weekend rolled into a busy week, and neither my husband nor I had a chance to do a mid-week trip to the transfer station.
After two full weeks of not getting to the dump, there was a bin overflowing on the landing, another one overflowing in the basement, and a huge black trash bag bursting with recyclables in the garage. Even my well trained kids couldn't avoid the landmine going down the stairs anymore. I was getting downright aggravated by the trip hazard and the monumental mess everywhere!
Then I heard a whisper, "Be grateful." I have no idea how I heard it in the chaos that is my household, but there it was, gentle but firm. Suddenly, I started seeing the overflow of boxes, cans and jugs as a blessing! How lucky am I that I have a husband who provides for us so I can buy food for my family? How fortunate am I that there are farmers and workers who grow the food, harvest it, package it, and deliver it to the grocery store where all I have to do is reach out and grab it?
Although I hope to someday cook less half-processed food for a healthier lifestyle, and therefore have less recyclables, I always want to view my recycle bin with gratitude. As I do so, I want to say a prayer of thanks for the people whose efforts fill those boxes, cans and jugs. Most of all, I want to say a prayer of gratitude to God, Who has blessed me so abundantly that my recycle bin, and my life, overfloweth.
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