A few years ago I wrote and published a book titled "Finding God Where You Least Expect Him." It’s all about learning to think in such a way as to be constantly discovering God in our lives and in the world around us. Well I recently received an email from a mother/daughter janitorial team that found God in the least likely place — in the trashcan! I must say, that is one place I wouldn’t have thought of looking.
Turns out one of their janitorial clients is the local newspaper office where finding books in the trash is a common occurrence due to the large number of promotional books publishers send to the newspaper for potential reviews. And here’s the fun and ironic part — what they found was my book! That’s right, they found my book about finding God where you least expect Him, in the trash. I wasn’t sure how to take this until I read on.
"Well, what a blessing to find your book in the trash," they wrote. "Can you believe that? Well we are happy because its one of the most inspiring books we have read."
It’s one of my finest endorsements — a compliment, not only to the message of the book, but to the gospel as well. The gospel seems to always deal in treasure and trash. Here they were finding something valuable among things normally discarded. The parallel between this and how God finds us should not be wasted.
I think you could safely say that God is always pulling us out of the trash. And in finding us there, He also finds a part of Himself, since we are all in His image. This is one of the reasons He looks for us. He is completing the picture He started at creation. He is bringing us together as a display of His grace in the universe. And He rummages through the trash to do it, turning rubbish into something that will bring Him great glory.
This story is not only about God finding us; it’s also about us finding each other, too. These women found me and in turn I found them. And it all happened in a trashcan. Amazing what God can do! Don’t sell God short. He can show up anywhere and use anything, so be ready.
If you are interested in rescuing more copies of " Finding God Where You Least Expect Him," we have arranged for a one-time offer through PurposeDrivenLife.com.
So click here to find out how you can save another one of John’s books from the trash!
John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.
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Es esposo de la mejor mujer, padre de 2 hijos maravillosos, pastor y director de Desafío Joven. En los últimos 12 años ha trabajado con jóvenes, padres y líderes juveniles. Estudio en Rhema Bible Training Center. Su servicio con la palabra de Dios se ha extendido por más de 27 países en 13 idiomas. Es director ejecutivo y consultor de varios ministerios cristianos, desarrollando conferencias, cursos bíblicos, libros, estudios, devocionales, vídeos y recursos para la vida espiritual.
