I Can Use That!

When our children were young, they loved doing crafts and we loved to recycle as much as we could, so we often made crafts out of “trash”. Our son would walk by the trash can and look in and pull out a paper towel or toilet paper roll or tuna can and say, “Don’t throw this away! I can use that!” And he did use much of it in very creative ways. 

When Joseph was young, he was a bit arrogant and his brothers were very irritated by him and by the fact that their father favored Joseph. When they had an opportunity, they sold Joseph into slavery. Joseph could have said, “Well, I guess that is the end of me. I think I’ll just kill myself rather than be a slave.” But he didn’t. He became the best slave a master could ever dream of having! Joseph didn’t blame God, but rather used the opportunity to learn as much as he could and was promoted to being in charge of his master’s entire household and property. 

When his master’s wife couldn’t get the attention from Joseph she wanted, she accused him of attempting to rape her and he was thrown into prison. Again, Joseph could have blamed God and just quit – given up and waited to die. But instead, he became the best prisoner any guard ever had to keep. He was promoted to a place of caring for the other prisoners. And when the time came, Joseph had been fully educated and trained for the position God had in mind for him – second only to Pharaoh in ruling over Egypt. He was released from prison and put in charge of the kingdom.

It is easy for us to read about Joseph in the Bible and not think about how difficult it was for him for many years because we focus on the end. But if we stop and ponder a bit, there were a lot of years between him being sold as a slave and him becoming a ruler in Egypt. And all those years, he was either a slave or a prisoner. He had been mistreated, lied about, betrayed, and left as trash. And God looked down and said, “I can use this!” Joseph saw in the end how God had used his circumstances for His purposes. He told his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God used it to save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)

Sometimes we go through life and hit rocky places – difficult things that irritate or hold us back. We feel like trash – not good for anything or like we have been trashed. But God looks down and says, “I can use that,” and He uses the very things we think are hurting us or hindering us from reaching our goal to shape us – to make us into more useful, productive people for His Kingdom work.

Someone recently told me, “God is really changing me. I used to get upset whenever my car wouldn’t start and throw a fit, kick tires, slam doors, and mutter. Now I don’t feel like I need to do that anymore. I just get out, use the portable battery starter, hook it up and start the engine and go. I have way more patience now than I used to have.” It took several months of an unpredictable vehicle that started some days and not others and no one could determine the cause. So he had to frequently get cables and jump start his vehicle. In all of those many times of being detained and inconvenienced, he grew less and less impatient and angry and learned to be grateful that he had options and wasn’t left sitting without help. 

Yes, God can use the “trash” in our lives and do good things with it. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NLT

Lord, help me to see when You are working to change me, calling my heart closer to You. I want to trust You to always be doing Your good work in me and through me no matter what I am going through. You sometimes do Your best work through the deepest suffering. Help me to keep it in that perspective and always be willing to suffer for the good You are doing and will do. There is nothing too big or painful that You cannot redeem and heal. I worship You and praise You for who You are and the work You are doing in me. Amen.