Scraps Have Value

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”  (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)

            In Paul’s day when a vessel of clay was broken the scraps and shards were cast aside as useless.  Archaeologists spend many hours in search of shards of pottery and bones from ancient civilizations to piece together a story of a lost colony, city, or nation.

            What do you do with a garment that has become tattered and torn?  Most people will discard the old for a new one.  These scraps are looked upon as having “seen their best day,” and are thrown aside as worthless.

            My quilter wife, on the other hand, is always on the lookout for scraps of material.  When the need is made known her neighbors and friends save material scraps for her.  Last year we were in Townsend, Montana and passed a quilting shop.  There in the window was a sign which read: BAG OF SCRAPS $2.00.  You guess it!  I had to stop and allow her time to satisfy her curiosity and look for a bargain.  After waiting for what seemed like hours (probably thirty minutes), I went in to the shop to find her sorting through the bags of scraps to find the best bargain. 

            One year my wife took a “Log Cabin” double bed size hand sewn quilt down to Wycliffe Associates to donate for their annual auction.  During the live auction two parties began bidding on it and much to our amazement it sold for a little over $2,000. 

            It never ceases to amaze me how a person can take scraps of material that our “throwaway” society has discarded as worthless, and fashion an item of great value.  This pictures how God, the Master Quilter, takes the scraps of broken lives and human failures that are turned over to him and fashions a purposeful life with great value that ultimately brings glory to His name.

            King David was a miserable broken man until he repented and became a comfort to millions of others who look for value in their own bad choices.  Paul who persecuted Christians became the apostle of grace. 

            What about the bad choices we have made?  Can God do anything with the worthless scraps of our lives?  Absolutely!  By repenting and turning them over to the Master Quilter, God can create a garment that will radiate his glory.