Trash vs Treasure

Every single day, throughout the course of the day, we all produce trash—unwanted, unused stuff we no longer need or want. Coffee grounds, an empty water bottle, the wrapper off a protein bar, the sack and empty cup from a take-out lunch, the envelope from a bill. If we live a day, we produce trash in that day. It’s a given.

So what about the other end of the spectrum? Treasure. Wanted, valuable stuff we really need and want. From a thing we buy to a job we land to an email telling us “great job.” We could define treasure as the good stuff we produce or acquire in a day.

But let’s go deeper …

There is another kind of trash we produce every day—a self-centered attitude, an unfair criticism we throw out, a damaging habit we engage in again, someone we put off who shouldn’t be, or someone we entertain that we shouldn’t. Each day, we produce that kind of trash as well.

But then there’s the other end of this spectrum—the opportunity to produce treasure. The fruit of the Spirit. The attitude of a new mind. The new life God brings. The love and grace we may express.

One of the frustrations of my life is how easy it is, without even thinking, to produce trash. But treasure comes only through intentional commitment.

Trash comes easy; treasure requires work.

Today, maybe it’s still early and you haven’t produced a single piece of trash yet. But it’s also a new day where you most certainly can produce treasure—something not just valuable to you, but maybe even more so to the people you can touch in Jesus’ name.

The great news of the Gospel is trash can be forgiven, so Treasure can be given.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. —Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT