Giving Up On Dirty Pans

God often speaks to me when I’m doing the mundane. Those everyday tasks where you shut your brain off and go onto auto-pilot. Well He spoke something to me that floored me.

I was trying to clean one of my baking pans. Whatever I had cooked on it left blackened charred bits. It was greasy and discolored. This pan definitely had a lot of wear.

Without giving it too much thought, I figured I’d just toss it. I could replace it easily and I already had other pans I could use in the meantime. I thought about asking my husband if he was okay with it but, decided I’d just decide. That’s when God spoke a word I won’t forget.

“The way I’m treating this pan is how we treat people!”

Wait. What?! It didn’t take me long to realize in a sentence God spoke a lifetime of truth. We can, especially God’s people, treat others as disposable. “I don’t need you anymore. You’re no use to me anymore. I’ve found you’re replacement.” And we can do it in such a cavalier way. The years of service they gave, the years of dedication to us when it was at the sacrifice of other parts of their life, don’t mean anything.

Moreover what about how we as Christians can treat unbelievers?

“You’re too dirty.”

“You’re sin is too messy.”

“I might get some of your grease on me and people might think things about me.”

“You smell too much like the world.”

“I don’t have time to help clean you up!”

God uses dirty pans. God sees the beauty in dirty pans. God sees people and loves them no matter their backstory, current condition; the nicks, cuts, scrapes, and scars. The Master still sees value when we see disposable. God is asking us to cherish people the way He does.

I may never be able to get that pan fully clean but, should that really be my goal? I’ll never be able to get it back to it’s brand new just out the box condition even though I waste so much energy trying. Stop trying to force people into brand new condition and cherish the story their scars tell. Healed scars testify of the redemptive power of God. Like my beat up pan, beat up sinners, beat up redeemed people shouldn’t be casually tossed away! Praise God, God didn’t just toss me away!