clean

Is “Used” Valid?

Photo by Rodolfo Mari on Unsplash

At this time of Christmas and gift giving, there can be tremendous pressure to meet a certain standard.  And the question arises, “is giving a used gift valid”?

It probably depends on the circles you run in.  If you see a used tricycle at a garage sale and buy it for the neighbor kid next door, is that a legitimate gift?   The kid might be happy.  The parents might not be.  It depends on their attitude and fears and desires for acceptance.

In today’s culture, there might be a lot of shaming if something is not new and shiny, but the fact is, in some circles, older is better … real estate and iconic mansions, classic cars, solid antique furniture, crown jewels, Shakespeare, the Bible.  Not everything has to be new and shiny to have value.

In the Old Testament, the Lord often told the children of Israel to take the spoil.  “Spoil” in older English vocabulary means something different than the word “spoil” means today.  We thing of spoil today as being something like moldy bread or moldy cheese that has spoiled or milk that has gone bad.   But the word “spoil” in the past was more synonymous  with the word “stuff”.  In other words, they got the stuff.  They went in and got the tents, the tools, the cooking utensils, the weapons, the clothing, the food, the animals … anything that was left by the enemy.  And … wait for it … it was all used.  So the Lord is not prejudiced against used stuff.  He told them to go get it.

You can take anything used, clean it up, spiff it up, and make it useful.  A child particularly would rather have a used tricycle than no tricycle at all.

I get it.  If you are an ambassador to a nation you need a new suit.   You don’t live in a trailer home.  You don’t show up in the Senate in army fatigues.    But neither do you go milk a cow and take care of the chickens in a tuxedo.

There is  a time and place for everything.

If someone in a household is insistent on buying everything new and shiny, it puts a tremendous pressure on the household finances that doesn’t need to be there.  It can cause a lot of trouble in the household.

I’ve heard of people who will spend $50 on a child’s outfit.  Why?  The child will outgrow it in a matter of weeks.

On the other hand, I know of people who operate more as a group.  They get some of those big black tubs with yellow lids and put children’s clothing and maternity clothing in them and pass them around within the community.  Once a family is done with a certain size clothing, there is generally someone else that can use it for a season and then again pass it on.  It takes so much stress out of the situation of having to buy everything new every time for each child.

Of course, this goes back to the circles you walk in.  There are some families or perhaps home school communities that are more communal and everyone lives at a certain basic standard … in other words, they keep things clean, laundered, repaired, and then share things.  They don’t pass on dirty, broken stuff.   They operate at a certain level of diligence and cleanliness and order.  And they are not that fussy about how “new” something is.  They have learned that material things, while necessary to life, are not the main focus in life.   But if there is a common Christian culture, these understandings should be basic anyway.

 

 

 

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Who Touched My Garment?

child on bike in muddy water

Photo Credit

If you walk in a mud puddle, even if you try to stay clean, it is likely some mud will cling to your shoes or clothes.

As you walk through life, you may feel some of what is going on around you.

Jesus felt it.  He said, who touched my clothes?

Mark 5:30  Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

 

In the natural, a person needs to clean up with soap and water from mud.

How does one clean up spiritually?

Ephesians 5:26  that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect.

 

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word[a] of God; 18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:

 

Psalm 27:7  Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Continue Reading