I am a “pack rat.”  I hate to throw anything away.  And I really hate to see something that is perfectly good be put in the trash just because I have no use for it at the moment.  In fact, I have rescued many things other people have thrown away, believing I might use them someday.

    A dear friend of mine moved away in 1968, closing his television repair business for good.  He was going to discard a box of old tools he used in his work, but I told him I would give them a home.  I have kept them through six moves.  They are in my shop right now.

    Since I know nothing about repairing televisions, some people (who shall remain nameless) thought those tools were useless.  Just taking up space.  When I grumbled about how much “stuff” we had to move, I was told that I ought to throw some things away.  But that was not an option for me.  Pack rats keep stuff.  That’s the way we are.

    Thirty years later, I needed to replace the battery in my Macintosh computer.  I couldn’t get the cover off the battery compartment.  I couldn’t use a regular screw driver to flip it up, because the metal blade could have come in contact with something that would have “fried” my unit.  Because we live out in the country and far from a large city, taking the computer to a shop would have been difficult.

    So I prayed and thought.  And as I did, the Lord reminded me of those old tools.  I opened the box, took out an all-plastic screw driver, ground it to size, and opened the compartment.  That tool saved the day.  It was far from useless.  It was just unused.

    People are a lot like that tool.  There are some people who seem to be useless.  They don’t have outstanding abilities, winsome personalities or leadership traits.  We overlook them in our churches and communities.  And they sit in the corner, neglected and unused.

    But no one is useless.  Each of us is a unique creation of God, made and equipped for a purpose.  We each have value in God’s eyes and a place in God plan.  We need to be sure we are using our gifts for the glory of God.  And we need to encourage others to do the same.