The Discarded, but Clean Milk Jug

This Week I Was Glad Mother Recycles

            When teaching third graders, I used my mother frequently as Exhibit #1 for the proverb, “Waste not, want not.” Since her childhood days in the Great Depression, she honed the art of repurposing. I recalled introducing Mother to Phyllis Rottmann Murphy, a former Woodland School administrator. The two discovered quickly their shared habit and laughed as they related the numerous ways they recycled and enjoyed  frugal living.

            This week after the little ice storm and the subsequent, bitterly cold days, Mother’s recycling habit was a boon to me. I exited the house to feed the farm cats only to find every gate frozen, vehicle doors frozen shut, and frost-free hydrant handles encased in ice. Thankfully, even though my boots crunched loudly on the ice-and snow-covered ground, my footing kept me upright – most of the time.

            Thankfully, even though Mother is making a concerted effort to "repurpose" less frequently, she had washed and saved a half-gallon plastic milk container with its lid. It was perfect for filling with hot water for thawing the ice-enclosed gate latches and the hydrant handles.

Notice how Mother stores the lid -on
the side - she masking taped it. 
In her experience, tightening the lid 
on the recently washed jug will cause
 the air in the jug to smell stale.

            The light weight plastic container held the amount of hot water I needed and was easy to transport. The handle and light-weight plastic made it easy to tote.

            Soon the slow pouring of the hot water from the recycled container achieved its desired results. All gates and hydrant handles were operable. God’s glorious sun rays warmed the frozen vehicle doors.  Almost imperceptibly, the once immovable doors could swing freely open.

            As I walked toward the house, I realized the little plastic half-gallon container illustrated an important Biblical truth. The paraphrase from the 1970s of the Bible, The Living Bible, conveyed clearly what I thought as I carried the empty, repurposed container. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7 –

But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine within us – is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own.

What a powerful word picture of a “perishable container” encasing something incredibly precious! Based on our faith in Jesus to redeem us from the darkness of sin, in His gracious lavish forgiveness, the God of the universe places in our weak, fallible bodies His Spirit to daily empower us to live lives that bring glory to Him. No wonder Paul emphasizes “everyone can see” it “must be”… God’s power and “not our own.”
             In our 21st century, the physical appearance of a person is celebrated. To retain that perfect appearance, in our country, literally, billions of dollars are spent each year to maintain flawless, youthful Americans faces and bodies. (According to www.plasticsurgery.org, in 2016, Americans spent $16 billion on elective plastic surgery.) To some extent, many of us fight aging (and rightly so), but with truthful hearts, as believers, we must agree with God that our souls are really housed in perishable containers. 

When trying to shut a gate,the
recycled milk jug sustained a
puncture from a frozen wire.
Since Mother had only saved
ONE jug, I had to used extra
strength duct tape to make it
serviceable again. So often in
 aging, perishable bodies incur
scars and flaws. Ironically,
sometimes, in spite of one's
marred, imperfect condition,
the Spirit of God shines
resplendently, astonishing all
who see, especially the skeptic 
and unbeliever.

           How like the discardable, recycled plastic milk jug we are! In the sub-freezing weather, its only value to me was its containment of the hot water for thawing. God has graciously privileged us to have His gentle, ever-present spirit within our unreliable, weak frame (Psalm 103:14 ESV). Though unfathomable, He daily guides us to join the work He desires to do in and through us. 

            God, thank You for calling us into a relationship with You, imbuing the Holy Spirit in our frail, mortal bodies. Enable us to respond with hearts committed to obedience so that Your glorious power overwhelmingly illuminates our feeble humanity and magnifies the beauty of the loving Savior to those we encounter.