As I was heading to my aqua class a few Mondays ago, I got stuck behind a large garbage truck for miles. I wondered for a moment if the driver was headed to class with me.
But because I couldn’t see much of anything except the trash right in front of me, it caused me to think a little more deeply about the subject. It just so happened that Monday was my trash day, too, so what a great topic for the morning. And apparently for your reading enjoyment today.
I found myself pondering the incredible, massive amount of trash that is generated daily all around the world. And quite literally, what an enormous waste it all was. While I believe we should minimize and recycle our waste as much as possible, that’s not where my musings took me.
I started thinking about the contrast between the mountains of trash from this, our current earthly home, and the absence of trash once God restores earth and comes down here to dwell with his Church forever.
In all the books and articles and sermons that have been written about the new Heaven and the new Earth, I’m pretty confident that the topic of trash hasn’t made many or any of the manuscript cuts!
So, this post is more likely to generate a few, “Huh, never really thought about that” comments rather than any, “Wow, that is some deep theology!”
I’m okay with that.
Let’s look at the few tidbits and contrasts that I thought about as I was following that garbage truck for 10 minutes.
In this world:
- Built into our daily lives is the fact that there is much which isn’t likely to ever be of use again once it is disposed of.
- Consequently, much of our material world loses value over time, or in some cases, the next day.
- Massive amounts of research and money are expended on complicated systems just to figure out how to keep this trash from infecting our pristine lives.
- To some degree, countries or societies are defined by the amount of trash that surrounds them.
- Even recycled products will eventually become trash.
- On a hopeful note, God still uses the “trash” (trials, setbacks etc.) in our lives to make us more Christ-like.
In the restored earth:
- Nothing will ever be discarded, because everything is valuable.
- God’s purpose for all of creation will be restored to the perfection of the Garden of Eden
- We’ll experience first-hand all that Jesus’ death bought for us in permanently wiping away the sins of all believers.
- Our identities won’t lie in where we live, or how much stuff we have (which eventually will end up as trash), but by who we’ve become in Christ.
- No-thing and no-body will be disposable.
- Our contentment will be wholly satisfied through our relationship with Jesus, and our never-ending praise to Almighty God.
So the next time you throw away anything in your trash or your recyclables, say a quick prayer to God, thanking him for the future restoration of all things.
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11