Finding Church in Your Pantry
Posted: Thursday, July 24, 2008
by Teresa Ortiz
Freelance writer/Speaker
"Best if used by 02-08-04"-this being the date stamped on the can of corn I pulled out of the back of the pantry--and the oldest expiration date I came across while packing. There were many others, so many that I threw away more than I packed! My greatest find was a bag of Marshmallows that were so hard; they would make pellets feel like cotton balls if I were to shoot you with one.
Who knew that cleaning out my pantry could be so spiritually profound? And to think, I thought I was missing church because I had to finish packing. Shows you what I know.
"..Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:1b-2
Not knowing why this particular passage of Scripture popped into my mind, I held on to the scrunched up bag of chips, or crumbs as they were, and thought about the words, "lay aside every weight".
~~~~~
What does expired canned food have to do with weight? Then it hits me; it's human nature to hang on to things that we know are weighing us down. Things that are harmful for us, yet we are easily trapped by the familiar--after all, we know what to expect from the familiar. Once again, God gives me a practical picture of what sin does to us.
In our frailty, we deceive ourselves by adding something new to our lives. We find a new system of belief, or we find a new set of friends, or... Unfortunately, we do this without cleansing ourselves of the old things first. Eventually, we become tired and weary--we feel so heavy, we get depressed. Moreover, we are confused because we don't understand why we feel this way.
Yet this passage of Scripture gives us a practical solution. Lay the stuff aside. Other versions say throw it away. Get rid of the things that have "expired" and are not healthy for us. Replace it with something good; like Jesus, for starters. He is the one who can help us and the one who can truly free us from feeling sick, tired, and depressed.
What is hindering you today? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Don't just add something new to your life, get rid of the things that are weighing you down. It doesn't do any of us any good to look good on the surface while we have things rotting away in the deepest parts of our hearts.
The great news about looking to Jesus is that He will help us and give us the courage we need to move forward. He does not expect us to clean up first. He desires us to call upon Him just the way we are. So go for it, seek the help you need to save your marriage, or quit drinking, or quit playing the field--you fill in the blank. From experience, I have learned that there is victory in surrender.
Additional words come to mind from this same passage in Hebrews:
"For the joy that was set before Him"
Have you ever considered what or who the "joy" is? You are the joy--I am the joy. We are the joy that drove Him to the cross. We are why He endured the shame. Why would He do this? So that we would not have to live in bondage to our sin and shame. There is no greater love.
~~~~~
As I let go of the scrunched up bag of crumbs, I smiled with renewed excitement of the good things to come. I finished packing the box that was coming with us to the new house and I was content with how light it was.
The box of expired food, well, this box was heavy. I had to kick it all the way to the section that my husband had labeled trash--I felt so much better. It was symbolic of throwing away all the muck that I had allowed to creep into my heart and make its home there. I am looking unto Jesus anew with my eyes and heart wide-open. Won't you do the same?
Heavenly Father,
I can't even fathom the depth of love you have for me that you would send your only Son to bear my guilt and shame. I will never understand the sacrifice, but my heart is grateful that you accepted me just as I was so long ago. Yet in your love, you showed me a better way to live and your continued patience with me humbles me like no other. Thank you for showing me true freedom. I pray for those who are struggling with the concept of grace. Lord woo them unto yourself as you did me and so many others, may they hear your sweet voice calling them and may you deafen their ears to the voice of the enemy who desires to keep them trapped. I love you and I am forever grateful and as long as I have breath I will praise your name and share your love with others. In the name of your most precious Son, Jesus. All who agree, say Amen.
So what is the moral of this story?
If you ever feel like you need a little "church", go clean out your pantry.
(C) Teresa Ortiz
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Good to see you back, Teresa! I wish you well in your new home. When I helped my daughter and husband move, we found more expired food than good! You are so right; why do we let things build up and weigh us down. Sometimes we can hear God best in the least likely places! Good analogy.Hi Lorrie, thanks! It's great to be back. I figured I wasn't the only one who had expired food in the pantry :-) Thanks for the moral support. lol.It is amazing how God speaks to us at different times. He does use any sitituation, doesn't He. I'm glad you enjoyed the analogy. Have a blessed day!
Good article Teresa, I remember learning these simple practices when I got into recovery. Now and then when I start playing the old tapes, I have to remember that what He has given us is a gift. The best part is, that when I feel like this, I always hear "Your Grace Is Enough" on the radio. I am so glad you're up and running.Hi Michelle, nice to hear from you. I love how He is so faithful!! And I love how alive the word of God is. We can read the same thing over and over and depending on our current circumstances, we see a fresh reminder and application of His timeless truth. God bless you bunches!
hi t,this was a really good idea for an article. very inventive. it will feel good to start clean and fresh in a new home. the old must be dispose of before the new can enter. amen.my best regards,sueHi Sue, I'm glad you liked it. I am hoping it's not too corny. My hope is that it is a bit amusing while at the same time, makes a few good points and is encouraging.And a big thanks for the amen! :-)Have a great day! Hugs and smiles, t
Teresa-awesome article! I feel motivated and inspired! Thanks so much for sharing and for the reminder!Hi Laura, it's great to hear from you! I am so glad you are motivated and inspired :-)Hey, guess where I am going tomorrow night?HA! THE ROLLER-DERBY . Would you believe my daughter has a coworker who is on a team? I am soooo excited, you don't even know...:-) Have a wonderful weekend. Praying all is well on your end.LOL Teresa!!!! Hope it brings back more memories!! You have to tell me if they still play the same music! Hope you have a great time! I have been meaning to email you-hopefully before the weekend is over! *sigh*No problem, I know you have a hectic schedule, but when you can it will be nice to hear from you :-)I will definetly let you know how it goes!
Beautifully inspirational. You have such a perfect way of wording your articles. This is certainly a wonderful 'parable of the pantry'.Bless you, Teresa.SandraHi Sandra, you always say such wonderful things. Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed it. And I love your title better. "Parable of the pantry"--ha! You are very creative dear Sandra, I would have never come up with that one as you can guess from the one I chose :-)Lord bless you too!
Hi, Teresa, I enjoyed this article. I copied "He does not expect us to clean up first. He desires us to call upon Him just the way we are." That's the centerpiece for me. Thanks for sharing all of this and the scriptures. I read the comments and loved Sandra's "parable of the pantry." That's what it is.God bless you.Hi Jane, thanks for reading and for your wonderful comment. I am so glad a piece of it spoke to your heart. I love that Jesus does the changing in our hearts and lives bit by bit. That was makes Christianity so different. It is about a relationship with God not a bunch of religious do's and don'ts. God's guidlines and commandments are for the sole purpose of our benefit and protection.Thanks for joining my fan club :-) God bless you!
Hi Teresa. For me this was more like philosophy in the pantry, but no less true. I think we hang onto things for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is a bit of laziness. It's easier to just keep that old can of corn than to make a decision of whether or not to toss it. Then there is the worry of "What if I really, really need it some day?" Can you guess that I am a pack rat...constantly having to do battle with my hording nature?I actually did clean out our pantry the other day. I was amazed at all the space I had created...space for new and better things!I love how your articles always make me think outside my usual box.Peace,DianneHi Dianne, thanks so much for reading and taking a moment to share your thoughts. I do appreciate it and value your input. You sound like my husband, he does the "what if" thing. I was so proud of him during this move, he threw so many jars and other stuff away. I thought that he should get a medal for throwing away an old video camera case that was in our closet for 16 years. It was for the big old video cameras from the 80's that fell and broke in the 1992 big earth quake in San Francisco. His words to me then were, what if we need it someday" I will admit we finally used it; the day we moved, we put other trash into it and then tossed it into the trash bin :-) It's a good thing we kept it all those years, it would have been a shame to have had to use another trash bag. lol.Philosphy in a pantry works as a title too. Man, why can't I be as creative as you and Sandra. I'm glad I give you another way to think. Blessings to you!
A really good article. You need to think about writing one about continued grief, strife, trials where you just never seem to get rid of them, they are constant and ever presenta nd as soon as one goes away another appears. I really believe this is a minstry that is neglected by the church. Hope yes but what are the tools necessary to get through it? Best wishes, Robert.Hi Robert,I am glad you liked the article. I will pray about how God would have me write an article like that. I would love to. Give me the next few days to consider it, search the Scriptures for relevant passages and hopefully I will have it written within the week.
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